Associations between High Serum Adipocyte Fatty Acid Binding Protein and First Hospitalization in Kidney Transplantation Patients: A 5-Year Follow-up Study

Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) is predictive of type 2 diabetes mellitus incidences and metabolic syndrome and is independently associated with atherosclerosis. The present study aimed to assess the association between serum A-FABP levels and future first hospitalization events in kidney transplantation (KT). We enrolled 72 KT patients from January through April 2012 and followed up on these subjects until June 2017. The first hospitalization events incidence was the primary endpoint. Using a commercially available enzyme immunoassay, serum A-FABP levels were measured from the patient’s fasting blood samples. During a median 65-month follow-up, 49 first hospitalization events occurred. KT patients with first hospitalization events had greater incidences of hypertension, diabetes, and higher serum blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglyceride, and A-FABP levels than those without the events. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of first hospitalization events was greater in the high A-FABP group than in the low A-FABP group. Multivariate Cox analysis with significant variables showed that serum A-FABP (hazard ratio = 1.012; 95% confidence interval = 1.000–1.025; p = 0.044) was independently associated with first hospitalization events among KT patients. The results revealed that serum A-FABP is associated with first hospitalization events in KT patients. However, further prospective studies are needed to determine the mechanisms underlying this association.