Fasting Blood Sugar variability tied to increased mortality among Heart Transplant Patients

A new study has found that fasting blood glucose (FBG) variability is strongly linked to an increased risk of all-cause mortality in heart transplant recipients pointed out a study published in the Clinical Transplantation Journal.

FBG variability is linked to cardiovascular events and mortality, but its association with heart transplant recipient mortality is unclear.

The study, which was a retrospective cohort study, included 373 adult recipients who had survived for at least one year after heart transplantation with a functioning graft and had their FBG measured more than three times within the first year after transplantation.

The patients were categorized into three groups according to the coefficient of variation of FBG level, with those with higher FBG variability having a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality.

The study concluded with the following clinical findings:

1. During a median follow-up of 44.4 months, 31 participants (8.3%) died, and the FBG variability was found to be independently associated with increased all-cause mortality.
2. Patients with higher FBG variability had a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality.
3. The association remained unchanged after adjusting for various factors such as demographics, cardiovascular history and lifestyle, hospital information, immunosuppressive therapy, and post-transplant renal function.

The results of the study have important implications for heart transplant recipients, as they suggest that FBG variability may be a novel risk factor and prognostic marker for these patients in the outpatient clinic.

“It is important for physicians to be aware of this finding, as it could lead to more targeted interventions and improved outcomes for heart transplant patients. This finding is particularly relevant for heart transplant patients, as they often have pre-existing cardiovascular disease and are at increased risk of cardiovascular events.” added the researchers of the study.

Reference:

Zheng, Qiang, et al. "Association of Fasting Blood Glucose Variability With All-cause Mortality in Heart Transplant Recipients." Clinical Transplantation, 2023, pp. e14958.