Post transplantation diabetes mellitus is relatively common and warrants meticulous attention in view of its potentially disastrous effects on graft function and patient survival. Risk factors continue to be identified, some of them include: age, ethnic origin, family history, obesity, hepatitis C (HCV), and immunosuppressive drugs. We studied 211 non diabetic patients (pts), they had been received kidney transplantation (living related or unrelated) between 1998-sep2003, immunosuppressive therapies were steroid (intravenous methylprednisolone 500-1000 mg within the first three days), cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine we studied this patients based on the currently accepted definition of diabetes after transplantation (causal plasma glucose greater than 200mg/dl at any time of day or fasting blood glucose >126mg/dl), all of this patients had been checked for HCV and other viral markers. 50 of them (0.24) with mean age of (36.54+/-13) had diabetes or transient hyperglycemia on first day after transplantation (plasma glucose290.8+/-57mg/dl), 6 of this patients (0.12) were HCV positive. During the second and third days after transplantation only 19 and then 12 of this 50 patient had remained hyperglycemic, there were also 6 hyper glycemic patients after one week. Finally only 5 pts (0.10) of this total 50 pts remained diabetic one month after transplantation, 4 of this 5 pts (0.80) were HCV positive.
We concluded that surgical stress and also high dose of methylprednisolone during the first days after renal transplantation can induce transient hyperglycemia or diabetes, in minority of these patients overt diabetes will be developed later, there are increased risks for HCV positive patients.