Lower quality of life in young men after pediatric kidney transplantation when compared to healthy controls and survivors of childhood leukemia-a cross-sectional study

Management dilemmas in pediatric nephrology: moving from friction to flourishing in "challenging" cases

BACKGROUND

The circumstances surrounding chronic kidney disease and its impact on families can be complex and difficult to navigate, leading to these cases being labeled "challenging."

CASE PRESENTATION

We present the case of an adolescent with kidney failure due to unremitting systemic illness and multiple complications ultimately resulting in the family's request to forgo dialysis. Medical team members wrestled with meeting the family's needs among internal and external constraints.

CONCLUSION

Past experiences, systemic inequities, differing perspectives, and consequential decision-making within individual belief systems can lead to friction between and among medical team members and families. As pediatric nephrologists, we must shift our focus from the "challenging" patient or family to addressing what is challenging their ability to flourishing.

Family Environment, Social Support, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents Following Kidney Transplant

BACKGROUND

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for pediatric end-stage renal disease. Transplant recipients often have better neurocognitive, academic, and health-related outcomes. While there is some evidence that health-related quality of life (HRQOL) improves following kidney transplant, other studies have found adolescent transplant recipients report lower overall HRQOL than healthy peers. Current research has focused on individual-level factors affecting adjustment to organ transplant, warranting examination of HRQOL from a systems perspective. Family environment and social support contribute to a system of proximal relationships that are crucial in adolescents' development, making them important factors to study in relation to HRQOL post-transplant.

METHODS

The current study utilized archival data of adolescent renal transplant patients who completed surveys about their family environment, social support, and HRQOL during routine transplant clinic visits.

RESULTS

Family cohesion, as well as social support from parents, classmates, and people in school, were positively correlated with HRQOL. Social support from people in school uniquely predicted variance in HRQOL, beyond the contribution of overall family environment after controlling for demographic factors. Relative to comparable adolescent samples, transplant recipients reported more optimal overall family environment, greater social support from teachers, and lower social support from close friends.

CONCLUSION

Psychosocial interventions for adolescent kidney transplant recipients may be enhanced by collaborating with school professionals and further bolstering strengths in the family environment. Kidney transplant recipients may benefit from long-term intervention, as decreased HRQOL appears to persist years post-transplant.

Mental health and social-emotional functioning in children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease

For children and young adults, living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses physical, mental, and social challenges. The mental health functioning of children and adolescents with CKD plays an important role in the medical, educational, vocational, and quality of life outcomes, yet receives little systematic attention in the busy pediatric nephrology clinic. This article will provide an overview of the prevalence of mental illness and symptoms in children and young adults with CKD, strategies to assess for dysfunction, and the long-term outcomes associated with impaired functioning. While there is a relative dearth of literature regarding evidence-based interventions in this population to improve mental health functioning, we provide "best practice" strategies based on the available literature to address emotional and/or behavioral challenges once they are identified. More research is needed to define appropriate interventions to alleviate mental health issues and social-emotional distress, and this review of the literature will serve to provide directions for future research.

Holistic care and symptom management for pediatric kidney transplant recipients

While many aspects of life may improve substantially for children and young people undergoing kidney transplant, there may be new challenges including symptoms that can be detrimental to health-related quality of life. Addressing symptoms requires attention to patient and family perspectives and a holistic approach grounded in symptom management. The interdisciplinary pediatric nephrology transplant team should be attuned to the prevalence of common symptoms including fatigue, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, pain, and sleep disturbances, as well as poor body image and sexual health. These common symptoms require regular assessment with a focus on appropriate interventions and how care may be impacted by transplant status.

Palliative Care Training in Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Key Points

Pediatric nephrology fellows have limited primary palliative exposure and opportunities to develop and refine primary palliative care (PC) skills. While experiential practice seems to improve confidence, most fellows have low confidence to provide primary PC. Fellows indicate a need and desire for additional PC training during nephrology fellowship.

Background

Children with CKD and their families encounter significant burdens. Integrating primary palliative care (PC), holistic care provided by nephrologists focused on enhancing quality of life through symptom management, stress relief, and high-quality serious illness communication, provides an opportunity to promote flourishing. Incorporation of primary PC education in training is therefore recommended. Yet, adult nephrology fellows report inadequate preparation to deliver primary PC. Similar experience of pediatric nephrology fellows is unknown. We sought to describe pediatric nephrology fellows' experience in providing primary PC and PC exposure during training.

Methods

We administered a cross-sectional web-based survey to pediatric nephrology fellows associated with the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology listserv in May 2021. The survey was adapted from a previously validated instrument and pretested by stakeholder nephrologists and subspecialty PC physicians; queries included institutional and personal PC experience, training, and confidence in primary PC delivery. Data were summarized descriptively.

Results

Response rate was 32% (32/101). Respondents were 81% female and 50% White; 87% practiced in an urban setting. Only one fellow (3%) completed a PC rotation during fellowship, and 15 respondents (48%) completed a rotation in medical school or residency. Fellows reported substantially more practice conducting kidney biopsies than family meetings; 68% of fellows had performed >10 kidney biopsies, and 3% of fellows had led >10 family meetings. Confidence in navigating challenging communication, addressing psychological distress, or managing physical symptoms associated with CKD was generally low. Fellows with greater exposure to family meetings reported more confidence navigating challenging communication. Fellows endorsed a need for additional training; 97% indicated that training should happen during fellowship.

Conclusions

Few pediatric nephrology fellows receive PC education or exposure during training, resulting in low rates of knowledge and confidence in primary PC delivery. Fellows indicate a need and desire for improved PC training.

Life after a pediatric kidney transplant

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

There is currently no doubt that a kidney transplant with good function is the best treatment we can offer a child with severe kidney failure, improving their growth, development and life in general. But there are few works that follow these patients over the years to find out what their life is like as adults, their achievements and if there are any difficulties that may have arisen from their illness. That has been the objective of this work.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We have collected the evolution of 287 patients who received at least one kidney transplant in pediatric age, analyzing not only the survival of grafts and recipients but, fundamentally, their current quality of life.

RESULTS

Over a 40-year period (1979-2019), 345 kidney transplants were performed in 287 pediatric recipients, with a rate of retransplantation before reaching the age of majority of 16.7%. Survival, both of patients and grafts, has improved remarkably in the last 20 years. The survival of transplanted patients in the period from 1979 to 1996 at 10, 20 and 25 years after the intervention was 83%, 76% and 65% respectively, and 94% and 82% at 10 and 20 years respectively in those transplanted in the period from 1997 to 2019. Graft survival in the period from 1979 to 1996 at 10 and 20 years was 39% and 18%, increasing in the second period to 68% and 34% respectively. Survival of the first living donor graft (LD) at 5 and 10 years was 94% and 89%. Currently 150 of these patients are adults. Of these, 32% have a stable partner and 6.6% have children. The level of training is lower than that of the general population and many of them have other comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

The life expectancy of pediatric patients with kidney failure transplanted during childhood has improved markedly in recent decades, as has graft survival, being better with a living donor. In general, they consider themselves satisfied with their lives, with great acceptance of their illness and limitations, but -analyzing their testimonies- we conclude that they lack social support, both for themselves and their families, to achieve a higher level of education and better quality of life.

Depression and health-related quality of life in adolescents and young adults with childhood-onset end-stage kidney disease: a multicenter study in Japan

BACKGROUND

Patient survival and physical outcomes among children with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) have significantly improved, and recent research has focused on long-term depression symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, no studies have been conducted among adolescents and young adults with childhood-onset ESKD in Japan.

METHODS

This multicenter study included 45 adolescents and young adults aged 16-39 years who developed ESKD at age < 20 years. Depression symptoms were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II. The Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) was used to assess HRQOL. Factors associated with depression and HRQOL were analyzed.

RESULTS

Depression (BDI-II score ≥ 14) was observed in 13 (29%) patients. Patient's SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores were comparable with those for the general population. Lower estimated glomerular filtration rate, higher BDI-II scores, and lower body mass index were associated with lower PCS scores. BDI-II scores were negatively correlated with MCS scores. We observed a trend that unemployment was associated with lower MCS scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Depression is frequently observed among adolescents and young adults with childhood-onset ESKD. Regular screening for psychosocial concerns, maintaining stable graft functions, and achieving optimal nutritional status may contribute to improved well-being among these patients.

Quality of life and psychosocial outcomes of adults who were pediatric solid organ transplant recipients: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

The number of pediatric SOT recipients surviving into adulthood is increasing. Thus, understanding their psychosocial and QoL outcomes is important. We conducted a systematic review to collate existing literature examining QoL outcomes (physical functioning, psychological functioning, social functioning), as well as risk and protective factors associated with QoL, among adults who underwent SOT during childhood.

METHODS

A systematic search of five databases, from inception to January 6, 2021, was conducted to identify articles that reported on QoL outcomes for adults (≥18-year of age) who received a SOT during childhood (<19-year of age).

RESULTS

Twenty-five articles met inclusion criteria. Studies examined QoL across a range of SOT populations (liver, kidney, heart). QoL and psychosocial outcomes were variable; however, the majority of studies indicated QoL in this population to be similar to the general population, or at least similar to other chronic illness groups, with the exception of physical and social functioning. Factors related to a more optimal medical course, younger age at transplant and follow-up, and positive psychosocial functioning, were found to be predictive of better QoL outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

While several studies indicated QoL to be similar to the general population, the literature is limited in both quantity and quality. No study employed prospective, longitudinal methodologies to systematically evaluate QoL over time and few studies utilized normative-based measures of QoL. Furthermore, several SOT groups were under-represented in the literature (e.g., lung, intestine, multi-visceral). Nonetheless, findings have implications for intervention and clinical decision-making.

Physical performance capacity after pediatric kidney transplant and clinical parameters associated with physical performance capacity

BACKGROUND

History of chronic kidney disease and kidney transplantation is known to influence physical performance capacity. The aim of this study was to compare the physical performance of pediatric kidney transplant recipients to healthy controls and to find possible correlations between clinical parameters and physical performance capacity.

METHODS

Twenty-four pediatric kidney transplant recipients (62.5% boys) were tested at a median age of 10.8 years. Physical performance capacity was tested with a test set including six different components assessing muscle endurance, strength, speed, and flexibility. The control group consisted of 273 healthy age-matched schoolchildren. Clinical parameters were collected as part of routine follow-up protocol. The majority of patients (62.5%) had congenital nephrotic syndrome of Finnish type (CNS) as primary diagnosis, and therefore, the results of CNS recipients were compared to the other disease groups.

RESULTS

The physical performance capacity in pediatric kidney transplant recipients was lower compared to healthy controls. Surprisingly, no statistically significant correlation was found between graft function and physical performance capacity. The CNS patients scored worse than patients with other diagnoses in all test domains except for sit-and-reach and shuttle run, but the differences did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSION

The physical performance of pediatric kidney transplant recipients is reduced, especially in those with congenital nephrotic syndrome. Clinical parameters, including graft function, did not predict physical performance capacity, suggesting that the reduced physical performance seems to be of multivariable cause. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Safeguarding children and young people requiring kidney replacement therapy: challenges and potential opportunities

Kidney replacement therapy (KRT) makes considerable physical and psychological demands on children, young people and their families. The impact can be wide-ranging, affecting education, employment, mental health, finances and relationships for both child and caregiver. It is vitally important for those working with these families to recognise the psychosocial challenges they face and to know the range of interventions available. This article explores the psychosocial impact of KRT, considering opportunities to minimise risk and optimise outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Physical performance after pediatric solid organ transplantation

INTRODUCTION

Low physical activity is a well-recognized problem in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients; however, little is known about the differences between transplant groups. Physical performance testing was performed in a cohort of pediatric kidney, liver, and heart transplant recipients.

METHODS

Fifty-one patients (54.9% boys), including 17 liver, 20 kidney, 2 combined liver-kidney, and 12 heart transplant recipients, were tested at the median age of 11.5 (7.5-14.9) years. The results were compared with a control group, which consisted of 425 healthy schoolchildren. The physical performance test included six different tests of endurance, strength, flexibility, and speed.

RESULTS

The transplant recipients performed worse on most tests when compared with the control subjects (leg-lift test 42.0 vs. 44.9 repetitions, p = .002; repeated squatting 21.6 vs. 23.9 repetitions, p < .001; sit-up test 9 vs. 17 vs. 9 repetitions, p < .001, back extension 20 vs. 35 repetitions, p < .001; and shuttle run test 26.5 vs. 23.7 seconds, p < .001). None of the test results differed statistically significantly between the transplant groups.

CONCLUSION

The physical performance of pediatric solid organ transplant recipients is lower than that of their healthy peers but do not differ between different transplant groups. More systematic rehabilitation programs and follow-up are needed.

Adding Life to Their Years: The Current State of Pediatric Palliative Care in CKD

Despite continued advances in medical treatment, pediatric CKD remains an unremitting, burdensome condition characterized by decreased quality of life and earlier death. These burdens underscore the need for integration of pediatric palliative care (PPC) into nephrology practice. PPC is an evolving field that strives to (1) relieve physical, psychologic, social, practical, and existential suffering; (2) improve quality of life; (3) facilitate decision making; and (4) assist with care coordination in children with life-threatening or life-shortening conditions. Integration of palliative care into routine care has already begun for adults with kidney disease and children with other chronic diseases; however, similar integration has not occurred in pediatric nephrology. This review serves to provide a comprehensive definition of PPC, highlight the unmet need in pediatric nephrology and current integration efforts, discuss the state of palliative care in adult nephrology and analogous chronic pediatric disease states, and introduce future opportunities for study.

High depression rates among pediatric renal replacement therapy patients: A cross-sectional study

Depression is common in pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Depression is associated with inferior long-term outcomes. There is a paucity of studies that evaluate depression and possible associated factors in children and adolescents requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT). Cross-sectional study using Children`s Depression Inventory in a cohort from a large urban center. Forty-seven pediatric RRT patients (26 female, 12 peritoneal dialysis (PD), 17 hemodialysis (HD), 18 after successful kidney transplantation (KTX)) with a mean age at the time of assessment of 13.9 ± 2.3 years. Symptoms of depression were found in 30 (64%, 11KTX, 11HD, 8PD) patients. We found no association with age, sex, renal function, dialysis adequacy markers, anemia, electrolytes, socioeconomical status, IQ, educational status of the child including school attendance and distance from the house to the hospital among HD patients. Significant differences only applied for age at diagnosis of CKD, RRT vintage and deceased donor for KTX. The group with depression had a higher age at diagnosis of CKD and less time on RRT than the group without depression. There was also a high rate of depression in KTX patients. In this cohort, depression was a common comorbidity of RRT in children and adolescents with RRT and also for KTX patients, even though biomarkers of kidney function and time for RRT are much improved.

Telomere length regulators are activated in young men after pediatric kidney transplantation compared to healthy controls and survivors of childhood cancer-A cross-sectional study

Chronic diseases are known to cause premature aging and frailty. Data about telomere length and telomere length-regulating proteins after pediatric KTx are scarce. Leukocyte telomere length and gene expression level of eight telomere-binding proteins were analyzed in 20 KTx recipients, eight childhood NBL survivors, and nine healthy controls. The influence of key clinical parameters on telomere length and on regulators of telomere length was evaluated. The telomere length in the KTx recipients tended to be shorter (0.53 AU) than in the healthy controls (0.64 AU) but longer than in the NBL survivors (0.38 AU). There was no significant difference in telomere length between the NBL survivors and the KTx recipients (P = .110). The gene expression level of telomere length-preserving protein RPA1 was significantly higher in the KTx recipients than among the NBL survivors or healthy controls, while the expression of TRF2 and the tumor suppressor gene p16 was significantly higher in the KTX recipients when compared to the controls. TRF2 and TIN2 correlated significantly with hsCRP; additionally, TRF2 showed significant correlation with plasma creatinine and eGFR. KTx recipients have near to normal telomere length, but they have significantly higher gene expression levels of telomere regulatory proteins compared with healthy controls, suggesting activation of mechanisms preserving telomere length among KTx recipients. Our results suggest that declined graft function and consequent inflammatory response may have influence on telomerase activity.