Table 1.
Characteristics of kidney transplant candidates by kidney disease symptom burden at evaluation (n=1298)
| Characteristics | Kidney Disease Symptom Burden | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low, n=420 | Medium, n=403 | High, n=202 | Very High, n=273 | |
| Age at evaluation, yr, mean (SD) | 56 (13) | 55 (13) | 55 (13) | 52 (13) |
| Women, n (%) | 146 (35%) | 140 (35%) | 98 (49%) | 131 (48%) |
| Race/ethnicity, n (%) | ||||
| Non-Hispanic White | 187 (45%) | 197 (49%) | 99 (49%) | 120 (44%) |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 189 (45%) | 150 (37%) | 84 (42%) | 114 (42%) |
| Hispanic | 17 (4%) | 16 (4%) | 7 (4%) | 16 (6%) |
| Other | 27 (6%) | 40 (10%) | 12 (6%) | 23 (8%) |
| High school or above, n (%) | 395 (94%) | 389 (97%) | 186 (92%) | 259 (95%) |
| BMI, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 28.1 (5.5) | 27.9 (5.8) | 28.6 (6.3) | 28.9 (6.1) |
| Frail, n (%) | 32 (8%) | 51 (13%) | 33 (18%) | 57 (22%) |
| Cognitive impairment, n (%) | 30 (8%) | 20 (5%) | 10 (5%) | 11 (4%) |
| Lower extremity impairment, n (%) | 202 (50%) | 210 (54%) | 118 (62%) | 163 (62%) |
| Functional impairment, n (%) | ||||
| Activities of daily living | 7 (2%) | 13 (3%) | 19 (10%) | 25 (9%) |
| Instrumental activities of daily living | 34 (8%) | 68 (17%) | 53 (27%) | 78 (29%) |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | ||||
| Myocardial infarction | 32 (8%) | 29 (7%) | 22 (11%) | 24 (9%) |
| Peripheral vascular | 18 (4%) | 27 (7%) | 12 (6%) | 13 (5%) |
| Cerebral vascular | 14 (3%) | 24 (6%) | 13 (7%) | 16 (6%) |
| Dementia | 2 (0.5%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Chronic lung disease | 4 (1%) | 8 (2%) | 9 (5%) | 8 (3%) |
| Rheumatologic disease | 21 (5%) | 24 (6%) | 11 (6%) | 30 (11%) |
| Peptic ulcer | 11 (3%) | 10 (3%) | 8 (4%) | 11 (4%) |
| Diabetes | 152 (36%) | 155 (39%) | 94 (47%) | 107 (39%) |
| Diabetes with complication | 60 (14%) | 81 (20%) | 55 (28%) | 74 (27%) |
| Moderate/severe liver | 9 (2%) | 13 (3%) | 10 (5%) | 12 (4%) |
| Metastatic cancer | 4 (1%) | 2 (0.5%) | 2 (1%) | 1 (0.4%) |
| Leukemia | 1 (0.2%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (0.4%) |
| Lymphoma | 2 (0.5%) | 5 (1%) | 1 (0.5%) | 2 (0.7%) |
| HIV | 14 (3%) | 9 (2%) | 6 (3%) | 11 (4%) |
| Congestive heart failure | 53 (14%) | 60 (16%) | 32 (18%) | 48 (20%) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index, n (%) | ||||
| 0 | 191 (46%) | 169 (42%) | 63 (31%) | 100 (37%) |
| 1 | 27 (6%) | 24 (6%) | 16 (8%) | 21 (8%) |
| 2 | 95 (23%) | 75 (19%) | 44 (22%) | 40 (15%) |
| 3 | 52 (12%) | 59 (15%) | 35 (17%) | 53 (19%) |
| 4+ | 55 (13%) | 76 (19%) | 44 (22%) | 59 (22%) |
| Dialysis type, n (%) | ||||
| Preemptive transplant | 178 (43%) | 175 (44%) | 84 (42%) | 99 (36%) |
| Hemodialysis | 181 (44%) | 181 (45%) | 86 (43%) | 141 (52%) |
| Peritoneal dialysis | 57 (14%) | 46 (11%) | 28 (14%) | 33 (12%) |
| Months on dialysis, median (IQR) | 3 (0–21) | 3 (0–19) | 2 (0–19) | 5 (0–25) |
| Cause of kidney failure, n (%) | ||||
| Glomerular disease | 83 (20%) | 87 (22%) | 33 (16%) | 66 (24%) |
| Diabetes | 70 (17%) | 60 (15%) | 46 (23%) | 52 (19%) |
| Cystic disease | 37 (9%) | 35 (9%) | 18 (9%) | 25 (9%) |
| Hypertension | 149 (36%) | 128 (32%) | 61 (30%) | 77 (28%) |
| Others | 81 (19%) | 92 (23%) | 44 (22%) | 53 (19%) |
Candidates were enrolled at evaluation for transplant. The overall symptom score ranged from zero to 100 points and was on the basis of self-reported burden of individual symptom/problem of kidney disease with five response options ranging from “not at all bothered” to “extremely bothered.” A higher symptom score represents a lower burden. Characteristics were presented by category of symptom burden at evaluation for transplant: very high: 0.0–71.0; high: 71.1–81.0; medium: 81.1–91.0; and low: 91.1–100.0. BMI, body mass index; IQR, interquartile range.