Survival in End‐stage Diabetic Renal Disease

Abstract

The results of renal transplantation in patients with diabetes mellitus were studied in 100 consecutive patients transplanted between Dec. 1972 and June 1982. The study period was divided into two parts, 1972–76 (era I, 21 patients, 18 with juvenile onset diabetes) and 1977–82 (era II, 79 patients, 72 with juvenile onset diabetes). A group of 168 non‐diabetic patients, aged 20–54 years, receiving primary grafts during the same period served as controls to the 72 juvenile onset diabetics from era II. The three‐year actuarial patient survival of transplanted diabetics improved from 48 % during era I to 76 % during era II and was then not significantly inferior to that of the non‐diabetic controls. The three‐year actuarial graft survival rate was significantly higher for recipients of kidneys from living related donors than for those who had received kidneys from cadaveric donors (CD) among both diabetic and non‐diabetic patients. However, the three‐year graft survival rate was significantly higher (56%) for non‐diabetic than diabetic CD recipients (37%). The overall survival in diabetes mellitus was strongly influenced by the outcome of retransplantation during era II (12 patients). Thus, 69 patients were alive, 64 with a functioning graft, at the end of the observation period.