When is diabetes mellitus a relative or absolute contraindication to liver transplantation?

Abstract

Key Points 1. Diabetes mellitus is common in patients with cirrhosis; patients with DM undergoing liver transplantation often have many other co-morbid illnesses including obesity, coronary artery disease (CAD), autonomic neuropathy, gastroparesis, and nephropathy. 2. Long-term survival of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is significantly lower and morbidity higher when compared to non-diabetics mainly because of cardiovascular complications, infections, and renal failure. 3. Obesity, CAD, and renal failure are confounding factors that result in poor patient survival. 4. Patients with DM should undergo careful cardiovascular diagnostic work up, including routine coronary arteriogram, and necessary interventions before liver transplantation. This is especially important in those over 50 years old, and in those with retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. 5. Patients with coronary artery disease that is not amenable to surgery or stents, and those with impaired left ventricular function, should not be considered for liver transplantation. Other relative or absolute contraindications are those with proteinura and renal failure who are not candidates for combined liver/kidney transplantation, those with severe gastroparesis, especially when it is associated with diabetic autonomic neuropathy, and those with two or more risk factors such as CAD, morbid obesity, and renal failure. 6. Future studies should focus on risk stratification of patients with DM undergoing liver transplantation and better interventions to reduce the risk of diabetic complications before and after liver transplantation. Copyright © 2005 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.