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Published on: April 12, 2021
Association Between Nonadherence and Transient Hyperuricemia in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation
Y Morizawa1, H Satoh2, M Arai2
1Department of Urology, Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Urology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
Insights
Nonadherence in pediatric kidney transplant (KTx) patients is hard to detect. Transient hyperuricemia is a key risk factor, suggesting monitoring it can help identify nonadherence early.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Transplant Medicine
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Nonadherence is a major challenge in pediatric kidney transplantation, negatively impacting graft survival and outcomes.
- Detecting nonadherence during routine follow-ups is difficult.
- This study explored risk factors for nonadherence in pediatric kidney transplant recipients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate risk factors for nonadherence in pediatric kidney transplant (KTx) recipients.
- To specifically examine the role of unexplained transient hyperuricemia as a risk factor.
- To identify potential early indicators of nonadherence.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 167 pediatric patients who underwent kidney transplantation.
- Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to assess risk factors.
- Evaluated factors included age, sex, BMI SD score, transient hyperuricemia, hypertension, and follow-up duration.
Main Results:
- Nonadherence was observed in 11% of patients (19 out of 167).
- Transient hyperuricemia was diagnosed in 20% of patients (34 out of 167), a median of 14 months post-KTx.
- Multivariate analysis identified transient hyperuricemia as the sole independent risk factor for nonadherence.
Conclusions:
- Transient hyperuricemia is a significant risk factor for nonadherence in pediatric kidney transplant recipients.
- Monitoring for transient hyperuricemia may enable earlier detection of nonadherence.
- This finding can inform strategies for improving long-term graft survival.
Background:
Nonadherence among pediatric transplant recipients is a significant problem that reduces graft survival and leads to poor kidney graft outcomes. It is, however, extremely difficult to detect during a regular follow-up. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the risk factors involved in nonadherence, focusing on unexplained transient hyperuricemia in pediatric kidney transplant (KTx) recipients at a single pediatric center.
Methods:
This retrospective study included 167 patients who underwent KTx at our pediatric center. A Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to evaluate the risk of nonadherence using the following factors: age, sex, body mass index SD score, transient hyperuricemia, hypertension, and follow-up period.
Results:
Nonadherence was identified in 19 patients (11%), with the average (SD) age and post-KTx duration at diagnosis being 17.21 (4.73) years and 79.21 (38.77) months, respectively. Thirty-four patients (20%) were diagnosed with transient hyperuricemia at a median of 14 months after KTx. On multivariate Cox regression analysis, transient hyperuricemia was the only independent risk factor for nonadherence after KTx.
Conclusions:
Transient hyperuricemia was identified as one of the risk factors for nonadherence after KTx; therefore, careful monitoring for transient hyperuricemia may allow early detection of nonadherence.
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