TY - JOUR
T1 - Insights Into Health-Related Quality of Life of Kidney Transplant Recipients
T2 - A Narrative Review of Associated Factors
AU - Knobbe, Tim J.
AU - Kremer, Daan
AU - Bültmann, Ute
AU - Annema, Coby
AU - Navis, Gerjan
AU - Berger, Stefan P.
AU - Bakker, Stephan J.L.
AU - Meuleman, Yvette
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
PY - 2025/5
Y1 - 2025/5
N2 - Life expectancy and graft survival continue to improve after transplantation. However, improved posttransplant clinical outcomes do not necessarily translate into improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, there is an increased focus on HRQoL in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The HRQoL of KTRs is worse than that of the general population, but interventions that improve HRQoL in KTRs are scarce, and health care professionals in nephrology care do not routinely address HRQoL. To improve HRQoL, it is essential to understand which factors play a role in HRQoL and to pinpoint areas for intervention. This narrative review maps the concept of HRQoL within the KTR population and provides a comprehensive overview of factors associated with posttransplant HRQoL. The results are structured using an easy-to-understand conceptual model of HRQoL, which is instrumental for understanding how HRQoL is constituted of many clinical and nonclinical factors. We conclude that symptom burden among KTRs is high, which is likely a key driver of the limited HRQoL in this population. Moreover, myriad other clinical and nonclinical factors are associated with HRQoL, but the majority of the evidence is observational.
AB - Life expectancy and graft survival continue to improve after transplantation. However, improved posttransplant clinical outcomes do not necessarily translate into improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, there is an increased focus on HRQoL in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The HRQoL of KTRs is worse than that of the general population, but interventions that improve HRQoL in KTRs are scarce, and health care professionals in nephrology care do not routinely address HRQoL. To improve HRQoL, it is essential to understand which factors play a role in HRQoL and to pinpoint areas for intervention. This narrative review maps the concept of HRQoL within the KTR population and provides a comprehensive overview of factors associated with posttransplant HRQoL. The results are structured using an easy-to-understand conceptual model of HRQoL, which is instrumental for understanding how HRQoL is constituted of many clinical and nonclinical factors. We conclude that symptom burden among KTRs is high, which is likely a key driver of the limited HRQoL in this population. Moreover, myriad other clinical and nonclinical factors are associated with HRQoL, but the majority of the evidence is observational.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105000320072&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.xkme.2025.100986
DO - 10.1016/j.xkme.2025.100986
M3 - Review article
C2 - 40182980
AN - SCOPUS:105000320072
SN - 2590-0595
VL - 7
JO - Kidney Medicine
JF - Kidney Medicine
IS - 5
M1 - 100986
ER -