Frailty and Long-Term Post-Kidney Transplant Outcomes

Mara A. McAdams-DeMarco, Nadia M. Chu, Dorry L. Segev

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose of Review: To highlight recent research about frailty and its role as a predictor of adverse, long-term post-kidney transplant (KT) outcomes. Recent Findings: Frailty is easily measured using the physical frailty phenotype (PFP) developed by gerontologist Dr. Linda Fried and colleagues. In recent studies, > 50% of KT recipients were frail (20%) or intermediately frail (32%) at KT admission. Frail recipients were at 1.3-times higher risk of immunosuppression intolerance and 2.2-times higher risk of mortality, even after accounting for recipient, donor, and transplant factors; these findings were consistent with those on short-term post-KT outcomes. Pilot data suggests that prehabilitation may be an intervention that increases physiologic reserve in frail KT recipients. Summary: PFP is an effective tool to measure frailty in ESRD that improves risk stratification for short-term and long-term post-KT outcomes. Interventions to improve physiologic reserve and prevent adverse KT outcomes, particularly among frail KT recipients, are needed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)45-51
Number of pages7
JournalCurrent Transplantation Reports
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 15 2019

Keywords

  • Epidemiology
  • Frailty
  • Kidney transplantation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Transplantation
  • Surgery
  • Hepatology
  • Nephrology
  • Immunology

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