Frailty often coexists in kidney transplant candidates, care partners
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Patients categorized as frail and who were undergoing evaluation for kidney transplantation were “more likely” to have care partners who were also frail, according to a study.
The findings were presented at the virtual American Society of Transplant Surgeons Winter Symposium.
“Care partners provide a critical role in supporting kidney transplant recipients,” Aaron Murray, of the department of surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and colleagues wrote in a poster abstract. “Patient frailty is associated with inferior outcomes following kidney transplantation. However, little is known about the prevalence or impact of care partner frailty.”
To investigate, researchers assessed frailty in 56 patients who were being evaluated for transplant and their care partners. They determined the prevalence of frailty for potential recipients was 26.8% vs. 7.1% for care partners; average clinical risk analysis index score for frailty was 16.8 for patients and 4.6 for care partners.
Results showed frail patients were more likely to have a frail care partner compared with patients who were not frail (20% vs. 2.4%), leading Murray and colleagues to conclude that kidney transplant recipients with frailty may be a “particularly vulnerable population.”
“Further research is underway to understand the impact of care partner frailty on post-transplant outcomes and as a potential modifiable risk factor,” the researchers wrote. “The Fried frailty index may help in identifying care partners that can meet the demands associated with supporting a kidney transplant recipient.”
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Murray A, et al. Poster 113. Presented at: ASTS Winter Symposium. Jan. 14-16, 2021 (virtual meeting).
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