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Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
The Association of Performance Status and Disease Severity in Patients With Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease
Cody Andrews1, Sean Smith1, Maggi Kennel2
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI.
Objective:
Determine the relationship between functional status and degree of specific organ involvement, physical performance, and subjective well-being chronic graft-vs-host disease (cGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Design:
Observational cohort.
Setting:
Outpatient clinic.
Participants:
Adult patients (N=121) with cGVHD with 634 assessments.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS). Skin, fascia/joints, lungs, upper and lower extremity range of motion, liver, eye, mucosal, and gastrointestinal involvement were measured using the National Institutes of Health GVHD scale. Physical performance was assessed with the 2-minute walk test (2MWT) and hand grip strength. Subjective measures were the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and Lee Symptom Burden (LSB) scale.
Results:
Myofascial (P<.001) and lung (P=.001) involvement, 2MWT (P<.001), LSB (P<.001), and PHQ-9 (P=.03) had the largest associations with KPS with liver (P=.05) and hand grip strength (P<.001) more modest associations with KPS.
Conclusions:
Patients with cGVHD experience multifactorial impairment in function associated with potentially modifiable symptoms physiatrists have the expertise to address to enhance function. More research is needed to determine rehabilitation interventions to mitigate the impact of cGVHD on function.
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