Background: Kidney transplant (Tx) restores renal filtration, although it does not achieve the function of two native kidneys, and with time it may variably involute back to chronic renal failure. We hypothesized that bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) might highlight differences for body compartments among Tx with different filtration rates, and we compared them with healthy controls.
Methods: 38 Tx patients (25 males, 13 females) were studied at 75.9 +/- 37.8 months postsurgery and divided into three groups: good creatinine clearance (CrCl, ml/min/1.73 m2; > 65.0), borderline (35.0 < CrCl < 60.0) and bad (CrCl < 35.0). BIA was assessed three times in a year. Total body water, extracellular water (ECW), intracellular water (ICW), Na:K exchange rate (Nae:Ke) and phase angle were studied. Healthy (n = 11) and hemodialysis (n = 11) groups were also studied.
Results: BIA showed no differences between healthy controls and good Tx while both borderline and bad Tx presented a significantly higher ECW and lower ICW than either good Tx or normal controls. Only good CrCl was different from predialysis.
Conclusions: A good kidney graft manages to restore and maintain normal body composition, even with potential disturbances brought about by steroids and cyclosporine. With mild renal dysfunction a change in body compartments was observed, moving towards the composition of that with chronic renal failure patients.
Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.