Breathlessness and respiratory disability after kidney transplantation
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Published Version
Date
2021-09-21
Authors
O'Riordan, Anthony
Farrell, Aisling
Baqer, Nouh
Kant, Sam
Farrelly, Sean
Hunt, Eoin
Clarkson, Michael
Henry, Michael
Kennedy, Marcus
Plant, William
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier Inc.
Published Version
Abstract
Background: Dyspnea is a common symptom in patients with end-stage kidney disease being treated with dialysis. This study aimed to ascertain the level of respiratory disability in patients after kidney transplantation through assessing a cohort of kidney allograft recipients for respiratory compromise and thereby identifying a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Methods: Kidney transplant recipients who were under active observation in a single tertiary referral center were invited to take part in this prevalence study at the time of clinic follow-up. All patients agreed to take part in the study, which involved completing a Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale, completing the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire, and performing basic spirometry. An MRC score of ≥2 and/or a forced expiratory volume in 1 second <90% predicted prompted formal clinical assessment by a respiratory physician. Results: This study enrolled 103 patients; 35% of all patients reported breathlessness, and 56% of all patients warranted formal respiratory medicine review. After completion of their investigations, 33 patients were found to have an underlying condition accounting for their symptoms. Conclusion: Our study highlights the issues of respiratory disability and breathlessness in patients who have undergone kidney transplantation. Although extensive cardiologic evaluation is performed routinely and can rule out many causes of dyspnea, respiratory assessment is not a preoperative prerequisite. This study could suggest that a formal pulmonological evaluation and basic spirometry should be part of the pretransplant evaluation of the kidney transplant recipient.
Description
Keywords
Breathlessness , Kidney transplantation
Citation
O'Riordan, A., Farrell, A., Baqer, N., Kant, S., Farrelly, S., Hunt, E., Clarkson, M., Henry, M., Kennedy, M., Plant, W., Plant, B., Eustace, J. and Murphy, D. (2021) 'Breathlessness and respiratory disability after kidney transplantation', Transplantation Proceedings, 53(7), pp. 2272-2277. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2021.07.024