Echocardiographic findings in kidney transplanted type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with and without a pancreas transplant.

Echocardiography with Doppler recordings was carried out in 14 Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic recipients of pancreas and kidney transplants and in 14 Type 1 diabetic kidney transplanted control patients, matched for age, sex, duration of diabetes, extent of other late complications, time since transplantation, dose of prednisolone, and renal function. HbA1c was 5.5 +/- 0.6 vs 8.7 +/- 1.4% (pancreas transplanted vs kidney only). Both groups had a slight increase in interventricular septum thickness. Left ventricular mass was equal. The ejection fraction as a measure of systolic function was normal and equal, 0.71 +/- 0.05 vs 0.69 +/- 0.07. Diastolic function was also equal in two out of three parameters, isovolumic relaxation time and deceleration time. The A/E ratio, however, tended to be lower in the pancreas transplanted group, 0.94 +/- 0.20 vs 1.06 +/- 0.18 (p = 0.04). This indicates more frequent occurrence of impaired diastolic filling in the recipients of kidney only. Follow-up will show whether diastolic dysfunction increases and may be related to the increased cardiovascular mortality in kidney transplanted Type 1 diabetic patients.