Factors Associated with Self-Rated Health after Kidney Transplantation: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Background: This prospective study explores and compares the relationship between patients’ self-rated health (SRH) after kidney transplantation (KT) at different follow-up periods and its medical and nonmedical predictors over time. Methods: Patients (n = 128) who completed a questionnaire (the SRH question of the SF-36 and the End-Stage Renal Disease Symptom Checklist – Transplantation Module) were enrolled. Clinical data were retrieved from medical files. The sample was stratified into early (n = 89) and late (n = 39) cohorts according to time since KT at baseline. Linear regression was used to identify predictors of SRH at follow-up. Results: In both cohorts, a change in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) over time remained a predictor of SRH; in the early cohort, age was an additional predictor; in the late cohort, a change in transplantation-associated psychological distress over time and the number of late acute rejection episodes during the observation period were additional predictors. Conclusions: Improvement in GFR over time predicted better SRH at each period after KT. Decreased transplantation-associated psychological distress and fewer late acute rejection episodes seemed to predict better SRH at a later follow-up period. Despite these observations, higher SRH was associated with better clinical outcomes.