Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between immunosuppressant-related symptom experience (SE) and adherence to immunosuppressant regimens among kidney transplant (KT) recipients. Methods A total of 239 KT recipients on an immunosuppressant regimen who were followed up after transplantation participated in this study. Data was collected through a self-reported questionnaire survey (medication adherence, SE, and quality of life) and medical record review. Results Low adherence in the immunosuppressant group was associated with longer time since KT, less comorbidity (<3), and a higher rehospitalization rate. Low adherence among KT recipients showed significantly greater overall symptom occurrence (P =.001) and symptom distress (P =.002) levels than patients with high or medium adherence after adjusting for a number of covariates. The most common symptom both in terms of occurrence (96.4%) and distress (91.1%) among poorly adherent KT recipients was tiredness. Conclusion Low adherence to an immunosuppressant regimen was significantly associated with high SE among KT recipients. Strategies to decrease immunosuppressant-related SE are needed to improve adherence to immunosuppressants.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2707-2711 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Transplantation Proceedings |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 Nov 1 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Surgery
- Transplantation