Kidney transplant patients with more pain report less involvement in social activities
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Key takeaways:
- Patients with moderate to severe pain were more likely to report low social participation.
- Management of chronic pain after kidney transplantation is a complex issue.
SAN DIEGO — Kidney transplant recipients who experience more bodily pain have less involvement and ability to participate in social activities than kidney transplant patients who report less pain, according to data at ASN Kidney Week.
“The clinical implication is that chronic pain is a very relevant issue which requires more clinical attention. Management of chronic pain is a complex issue, and regular kidney transplant clinical teams may not be very well equipped to provide all the options that patients need,” Istvan Mucsi, MD, PhD, of the Multi-Organ Transplant Program, University Health Network and University of Toronto, told Healio.
In the cross-sectional data analysis of 282 adults who had a kidney transplant at the Toronto General Hospital, Musci and colleagues used the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) computer-adaptive testing to measure levels of pain interference. Mean patient age was 52 years, with 62% of patients being men and 59% were white. Median number of months since transplantation was 37 months.
Researchers defined patients with T-scores greater than 60 as having a moderate to severe pain interference and patients with T-scores of less than 45 were classified as low pain interference.
Data showed the mean social participation was 52 and mean pain interference score was 50. Researchers found a moderate negative correlation between social participation and pain interference (P < .001), which was significant after adjustment for covariables (P < .001).
“The main finding is that about 15% of stable kidney transplant recipients experience pain which is quite significantly disruptive to their life and limits their ability to participate in social roles and activities, [which is] a highly patient valued domain or quality of life,” Musci said.
Pucci and colleagues found after adjustment for covariables (OR= 5.16, P = .001) patients with moderate to severe pain were more likely to report low social participation when compared with transplant recipients with low or no pain, which was statistically significant.
“Focused symptom management clinics (or renal supportive care clinics), as seen in Australia and at some U.S. centers, may help better manage pain in kidney transplant recipients,” Musci said.
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Pucci MG, et al. Abstract TH-PO0733. Presented at: ASN Kidney Week; Oct. 24-27, 2024; San Diego.
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