Study: Patient Compliance Influences Pediatric Transplantation

The decision by a doctor whether or not to recommend a child for kidney transplantation often depends on the child's track record for sticking to a medication regimen, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

The researchers, reporting in the American Journal of Transplantation, said 94 percent of pediatric kidney disease patients described as "compliant" with medication regimens were recommended for transplant compared to 62 percent who were labeled "not compliant."

Because organ rejection is the most important concern following transplant, patient compliance in taking anti-rejection medications is critical and may explain the importance physicians attach to a patient's prior history of compliance, according to the researchers.

But lead researcher Dr. Susan L. Furth, a pediatric nephrologist at the Children's Center, cautions that physicians cannot know for certain which patients will be compliant following their transplant.

"Any physician or family concerns about ability to comply with post-transplant treatment regimens should be discussed openly to overcome potential barriers to kidney transplantation," she said.

Researchers also found the education level of the child's parents influenced recommendations. Some 83 percent of children whose parents had some college education were recommended for transplant compared to 77 percent whose parents did not complete high school.

No differences were observed in transplant recommendations associated with patient age, race, sex, cause of end-stage renal disease, or the number of parents in the home.

Other sources: American Journal of Transplantation