Androgens and Development of Posttransplantation Diabetes Mellitus in Male Kidney Transplant Recipients

News
Recent studies in mice found that sufficient androgen levels are necessary for β-cell health and adequate insulin secretion. This raises the question whether a similar relationship might be present in KTR.

We conducted a post hoc analyses of a prospective single-center cohort study including adult male KTR with a functioning graft ≥1 year posttransplantation.
In this prospective cohort of stable male KTR, we demonstrated that DHT and testosterone are associated with the development of PTDM. More specifically, we showed that male KTR in the lowest tertile of DHT and testosterone have an independent 4.7-fold and 4.2-fold increased risk to develop PTDM, respectively.
These results suggest that androgen insufficiency could play a role in the frequent deterioration of the glucose metabolism after kidney transplantation.

Read full article