Nutritional Status, Dietary Intake and Immunosuppressive Therapy in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Differences Between Early and Late Post-Transplant Period-A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study.

Early post-transplant recipients had significantly higher non-HDL cholesterol concentrations than late post-transplant recipients.

• Early group (≤1 year): 153.3 ± 37.5 mg/dL vs. late group (>1 year): 111.1 ± 50.8 mg/dL
• Statistically significant difference (p = 0.040)
• Sample sizes: early group n = 15, late group n = 23
• No significant differences were observed in most other laboratory measurements between the groups

Early post-transplant recipients had significantly higher tacrolimus trough concentrations than late post-transplant recipients.

• Early group: 11.2 ± 5.2 ng/mL vs. late group: 4.6 ± 1.1 ng/mL
• Statistically significant difference (p = 0.0001)
• The early post-transplant group also received higher prednisone-equivalent and mycophenolate doses than recipients in the late post-transplant period
• Information regarding immunosuppressive therapy was obtained from medical records and verified at routine clinic visits

Early post-transplant recipients had significantly lower serum magnesium concentrations than late post-transplant recipients.

• Early group: 1.64 ± 0.13 mg/dL vs. late group: 1.94 ± 0.15 mg/dL
• Statistically significant difference (p = 0.009)
• This finding may be related to the higher tacrolimus trough concentrations observed in the early post-transplant group, as tacrolimus is associated with urinary magnesium wasting

The two groups did not differ significantly in body weight, BMI, body composition parameters, or nutritional risk.

• Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric and laboratory measurements, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002)
• No significant differences were observed in body weight, body mass index (BMI), or body composition parameters
• The groups also did not differ significantly with respect to sociodemographic characteristics or comorbidities
• Total sample consisted of 38 kidney transplant recipients

Early post-transplant recipients more frequently added sugar to beverages compared to late post-transplant recipients.

• Statistically significant difference in sugar addition to beverages (p = 0.048)
• This was the only statistically significant difference observed among most assessed dietary habits between the two groups
• Dietary intake was assessed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire-6 (FFQ-6) and a 3-day dietary record
• Qualitative assessment of 3-day dietary records showed a tendency toward more regular meals and greater dietary variety among early post-transplant recipients, though this was not statistically significant

This was a cross-sectional pilot study with a small sample size, and findings are considered preliminary and hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory.

• Total sample size of 38 kidney transplant recipients: early group n = 15 (≤1 year post-transplantation), late group n = 23 (>1 year post-transplantation)
• The study presents an analysis of baseline data obtained from a prospective cohort
• Authors note that 'larger, adequately powered prospective studies are needed to validate these observations'
• The exploratory nature of the study limits generalizability of the findings