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BOSTON -- Exposure to high temperatures may be renally taxing for kidney transplant recipients, a researcher reported here. Among nearly 64,000 recipients from 250 transplant centers around the U.S.
, every additional year patients lived in an area where the average heat index was above 86°F (30°C) was tied with an average annual decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of -0.62% (95% CI -1.22 to -0.
02) in a mixed-effects model. Over nearly 5 years of follow-up, kidney transplant recipients exposed to hot temperatures also had a 30% higher risk for a major adverse kidney event -- a composite of death from any cause, graft failure, or doubling of serum creatinine -- compared with those living in colder regions (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.
15-1.47, P<0.001).
"Climate change is worrying for kidney health and health in general. We should all be aware of that," Gabriel Cojuc-Konigsberg, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said at the National Kidney Foundation's Spring Clinical Meeting. "Preventing heat exposure in kidney transplant recipients should receive higher priority in research, public health efforts, and clinical practice to prevent adverse kidney transplant outcomes," he urged.
Although it remains unclear if ambient heat exposure can cause kidney disease, prior research has linked heat stress with detrimental kidney health, including episodes of acute kidney injury and development of kidney stones, Cojuc-Konigsberg said. "Individuals continuously subjected to heat stress -- namely agricultural workers in tropical and subtropical regions --..
. Kristen Monaco.
