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Oxford University Press, The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 12(77), p. 2474-2481, 2022

DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glac051

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Long-term Trajectories of Frailty and its Components after Kidney Transplantation

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Abstract Background Frailty is common and associated with poor outcomes among kidney transplant (KT) recipients. While frailty improves in the first 3 months post-KT with restored kidney function, longer-term trajectories are likely to plateau/decline due to aging and other stressors (eg, immunosuppression). We evaluated longer-term post-KT trajectories of the physical frailty phenotype (PFP) and its components in adult patients at 2 centers. Methods PFP components were measured at admission, 1, 3, 6 months, 1 year, and annually thereafter post-KT. We used adjusted mixed-effects models to describe repeated measures of continuous components (weight, gait speed, grip strength, activity) and generalized estimating equations to quantify longitudinal, binomial response patterns (PFP; exhaustion). Results Among 1 336 recipients (mean age = 53) followed for a median of 1.9 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 0.1–3.2), likelihood of frailty declined in the first 2.5 years post-KT (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95, 0.98), but increased after 2.5 years post-KT (aOR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.05). In the first 2.5 years post-KT, recipients demonstrated increases in weight (0.4 lbs/month, 95% CI: 0.3, 0.5), grip strength (0.2 kg/month, 95% CI: 0.1, 0.2), and activity (23.9 kcal/month, 95% CI: 17.5, 30.2); gait speed remained stable (−0.01 s/month, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.003). Additionally, likelihood of becoming exhausted declined post-KT (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98, 1.00). After 2.5 years post-KT, recipients demonstrated decreased grip strength (−0.07 kg/month, 95% CI: −0.12, −0.01) and activity (−20 kcal/month, 95% CI: −32.3, −8.2); they had stable weight (−0.003 lbs/month, 95% CI: −0.17, 0.16), gait speed (−0.003 s/month, 95% CI: −0.02, 0.01), and likelihood of becoming exhausted (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.02). Conclusion Despite frailty improvements in the first 2.5 years, recipients’ frailty worsened after 2.5 years post-KT. Specifically, they experienced gains in strength, activity, and exhaustion in the first 2.5 years post-KT, but declined in strength and activity after 2.5 years post-KT while experiencing persistent slowness. Clinicians should consider monitoring recipients for worsening frailty after 2.5 years despite shorter-term improvements.