Assessment of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk in renal transplant recipients before and after transplantation by nutritional status and level of life satisfaction

In the study, patients' demographic characteristics, dietary habits, biochemical parameters, and life satisfaction levels were evaluated. Various tools, including a general questionnaire, a three-day food consumption record, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), and the WHO/ISH Cardiovascular Disease Risk Scoring, were utilized. Of the participants, 83.3% were married, 33.3% were high school graduates, 43.3% did not smoke, and 85.3% did not consume alcohol. Before transplantation, 46.7% of the patients followed dietary treatment, primarily low in sodium (26.7%). Additionally, according to the SGA, 65% of men and 50% of women were at risk of malnutrition. Cardiovascular risk before transplantation was determined to be in the moderate-risk range of 10-20%. Moreover, a significant increase in HDL cholesterol levels was observed after transplantation, and the incidence of New-Onset Diabetes After Transplantation (NODAT) was found to be 38.09%. The average energy intake of male patients before transplantation was 2153 kcal/day, while for female patients, it was 1579 kcal/day. After transplantation, an increase in daily energy intake was observed, with men consuming 24.1 kcal/kg and women 20.1 kcal/kg. Before transplantation, protein intake was 0.82 g/kg/day for men and 1 g/kg/day for women. In the post-transplant period, protein intake averaged 1.2 g/kg/day for men and 0.9 g/kg/day for women. Life satisfaction significantly increased after transplantation, with subjective happiness also showing improvement. The average pre-transplant life satisfaction score was 15.3, which rose to 20.53 post-transplant (p<0.05). According to the results of the Satisfaction with Life Scale, a significant improvement in patients' quality of life was observed after kidney transplantation. The findings indicate that kidney transplantation has positive effects not only on physical health but also on psychological well-being and quality of life. The implementation of medical nutrition therapy and lifestyle changes in the post-transplant period appears to be effective in improving long-term health outcomes and reducing the risk of complications.