Evaluation of the Relationship between Medication Adherence and Tacrolimus Coefficient of Variation.

Introduction: High tacrolimus intrapatient variability is associated with poor outcomes following transplantation. A commonly hypothesized cause of this variability is medication non-adherence, but this has not been conclusively demonstrated. Research Question: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between medication adherence and tacrolimus intrapatient variability. Design: This was a retrospective cohort study of kidney transplant recipients. Adherence was assessed at the 12-month clinic visit as a composite of patient self-report, pharmacist assessment, and lab monitoring frequency. Tacrolimus intrapatient variability was calculated as the coefficient of variation (CV). Linear regression and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis were used to assess the relationship between adherence and CV. Results: Nonadherence was identified in 37.5% of patients. The median CV was 27.1% for adherent patients and 29.8% for non-adherent patients (P = 0.051). In the multivariable analysis, the only significant predictor of CV was the incidence of dose changes (P = 0.002). ROC analysis demonstrated poor discriminant power with an AUC of 0.597. Discussion: The results fail to support a clinically meaningful relationship between medication adherence and tacrolimus CV. There is very little evidence at this time that adherence is the primary contributing factor to tacrolimus intrapatient variability and, by extension, that CV can be used as a surrogate for adherence.

Quality of life and psychological symptoms in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has a delay in diagnosis that makes time since diagnosis of interest in this population. OBJECTIVES: To assess psychological conditions, perceived stress, QOL, and interpersonal support and to explore whether these factors may correlate with time since diagnosis in patients with PAH. METHODS: Participants at an academic medical center (n = 108) completed psychological questionnaires (Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Perceived Stress Scale-10, and Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-Short Form). RESULTS: Prevalence of psychiatric disorder, major depression, and "other depressive disorder" were 29.6%, 15.7%, and 9.3%, respectively. Participants reported adequate social support, high perceived stress, and average quality of life. Time since diagnosis was positively associated with greater perceived social support (ρ = 0.174, p = .075) and greater perceived stress (ρ = 0.191, p = .048), but no other psychological factor. CONCLUSIONS: Routine psychological assessment and timely referral for mental health services are suggested. Social support may buffer patients from stress.

Willingness to Consider Non-Directed Kidney Donation.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether factors, including knowledge about living kidney donation or acquaintance with a donor or recipient, are related to willingness to consider donating a kidney. Participants were randomly assigned to read (n = 78) or not read (n = 71) educational materials regarding living donation. All participants then completed a living donation knowledge quiz, indicated whether they knew a donor or recipient, and indicated their support for living donation. Knowledge was not related to willingness to consider donation. Acquaintance with a living donor predicated greater willingness to act as a non-directed living donor, as did acquaintance with a transplant recipient. Decisions regarding whether to consider acting as a living organ donor may be related to whether a person is acquainted with an organ donor or a recipient. Emphasizing personal connections to transplant may lead to increased acceptance of living donation.

Psychological distress in patients presenting for initial renal transplant evaluation.

The comorbidity of psychological disorders with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) presents challenges for renal transplantation, including increased likelihood of medication noncompliance and poorer quality of life. Estimates of rates and severity of affective and anxiety disorders have varied significantly across studies of renal transplant patients, possibly due in part to variation in the methodology and timing of evaluations. To this point, few researchers have examined the psychological condition of patients who are newly referred for renal transplantation. This study examined rates of psychological distress using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) in a sample of 518 ESRD patients at the specific time point of first contact with the transplant center. In this sample, 15.1% of patients endorsed symptoms consistent with a depressive condition and 7.6% of patients endorsed an anxiety condition. These rates were lower than expected, which may be due to decreased distress in this sample, selection biases, or underreporting of symptoms due to patients' motivation to present themselves positively.

Decision-making, emotional distress, and quality of life in patients affected by the recall of their implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

AIMS: We sought to investigate whether patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) were suffering from emotional distress related to the recent United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls, to better understand their decision process related to device replacement, and to assess any impact of recall on quality of life (QOL). METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-one patients experiencing device recalls answered questions regarding their knowledge about the recall and their decision whether to replace the device. Fifty patients whose devices were not recalled reported demographic data. In both groups, psychological factors were assessed. No significant differences were found for psychological factors. Most patients reported being informed of their recall by their physician. Most estimated the risk of device failure to be low or very low, but they overestimated the fail rate. Thirty-six per cent of patients reported feeling anxious about the recall. CONCLUSION: No significant differences existed in psychological factors and QOL between patients whose ICDs were recalled compared with those whose devices were not. The majority of patients whose ICDs are the subject of an FDA advisory/recall have a realistic understanding of the risks of device failure. Prompt information, support, and reassurance provided by healthcare professionals may allay patient distress.

Cardiovascular stress responses among Asian Indian and European American women and men.

Asian Indians have approximately 3 times the rate of coronary artery disease as do age-matched European Americans, but the increased risk cannot be explained by the presence of known physiological and behavioral risk factors. One previous study suggested that Asian Indians have diminished vasoactive responses to isoproterenol, but no published study has examined responses to psychological stressors. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the vasomotor response to stress, as indexed by hemodynamic measures, would be exaggerated in Asian Indian men and women, relative to European American individuals. Thirty-seven Asian Indian and 43 European American men and women were tested in a standard reactivity protocol, whereas heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac impedance measures were assessed. Asian Indian men and women had significantly smaller changes in systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure during the stressors, relative to European American men and women. Asian Indian women, but not men, had significantly smaller diastolic blood pressure and total peripheral-resistance index changes to the stressors, relative to the other 3 groups. These data are in contrast to our expectation of decreased tendency of Asian Indians to vasodilate during psychological stress but do suggest that sex and Asian Indian ethnicity interact to influence vascular reactivity to stressors.