Impact of Simultaneous Pancreas-kidney Transplantation on Cardiovascular Risk in Patients With Diabetes.

BACKGROUND cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in patients with type 1 Diabetes. Of the available risk predictors for this population, the Steno Type 1 Risk Engine (STENO T1) is the only one which includes kidney function as a risk factor, which is a well described independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. METHODS we explore how SPKT modifies the predicted cardiovascular risk by the STENO T1 through a retrospective study including recipients of a first SPKT between 2000 and 2016. RESULTS 268 SPKT recipients with a mean age of 40 years old and a median follow-up of 10 years were included. Prior to transplantation, the expected incidence of Cardiovascular Events (CVE) at 5 and 10 years according to STENO T1 would have been 31% and 50%, respectively, contrasting with an actual incidence of 9.3% and 16% for the same timepoints, respectively (P < 0.05). These differences were attenuated when STENO T1 was recalculated assuming 12th month glomerular filtration rate (at 5 and 10 years predicted CVE incidence was of 10.5% and 19.4%, respectively). Early pancreas graft failure (HR 3.00 [95% CI 1.14 - 7.88]; P = 0.02) was an independent risk factor for post-SPKT CVE, alongside with kidney graft failure (HR 2.90 [95% CI 1.53 - 5.48]; P = 0.001), and diabetes duration (HR 1.04 [95% CI 1.00-1.09], P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS SPKT decreases in more two-thirds the predicted cardiovascular risk by the STENO T1. A functioning pancreas graft further reduces CVE risk, independently of kidney graft function.