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Frailty Among Patients With ADPKD.
Jui Wang1,2, Szu-Ying Lee3, Chia-Ter Chao4,5,6,7
1College of Public Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Kidney International Reports
|November 24, 2025
Summary
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) did not increase the risk of developing or worsening frailty in this study. These findings suggest ADPKD does not independently drive functional decline beyond its kidney impact.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Geriatrics
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a leading inherited cause of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).
- Frailty is a state of increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes, and its association with ADPKD is not well-established.
- Understanding frailty risk in ADPKD is crucial for managing systemic complications and functional decline.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between ADPKD and the risk of incident or worsening frailty.
- To determine if ADPKD independently contributes to the development or progression of frailty.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study utilizing the National Taiwan University Hospital Integrate Medical Database (2006-2021).
- Propensity score matching was used to compare patients with ADPKD against controls with simple kidney cysts (SKCs).
- Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL scale, with survival analysis techniques employed to evaluate associations.
Main Results:
- Over a median follow-up of 4.8 years, ADPKD was not significantly associated with an increased risk of incident frailty (HR: 1.20, 95% CI: 0.69-2.08).
- Similarly, ADPKD did not show a significant association with worsening frailty (HR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.82-1.17).
- These findings were consistent across various subgroups and after accounting for competing risks.
Conclusions:
- ADPKD is not associated with an increased risk of incident or worsening frailty in this propensity score-matched cohort.
- The results suggest that ADPKD may not independently accelerate functional decline beyond its direct impact on kidney function.
- Further research may explore other contributing factors to frailty in ADPKD patients.
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