5045 CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY AND INITIAL REVIEW OF THE EFFECTS OF A HOME-BASED EXERCISE PROGRAMME

Abstract Background and Aims Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) have an increased burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to clustering of traditional and non-traditional risk factors. Poor cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is linked to higher levels of morbidity and mortality. Cardiorespiratory fitness is a significant predictor of 7-year risk of mortality, with each 1 ml/kg/min increase in VO2 associated with a 1% decrease in risk of mortality.[1] Although KTRs have higher CRF than patients with kidney failure, performance compared to the general population has not been quantified. Neither has the link between CRF and physical function. We assessed differences in CRF between KTRs and healthy volunteers in a case-control study. We then explored relationships between CRF and physical function and possible effects of a 12-week structured home-based exercise programme in KTRs. Method Case-control: 20 KTRs (10 male; age 61.2 ±8.1 years; body mass 84.1 ±19.9 kg) and 20 healthy volunteers (10 male; age 61.9 ±7.7 years; body mass 76.7 ±18.1 kg) completed a continuous ramp cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) to volitional exhaustion on a cycle ergometer. CPET variables were compared between groups using independent samples t-tests. Thirteen KTRs (6 male; age 47.8 ±15.9 years; eGFR 64.6 ±19.1 ml/min/1.73 m2), to date, have completed a 12-week structured, combined aerobic and resistance, home-based exercise programme as part of a pilot randomised controlled trial.[2] Bivariate correlations were used to explore the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and physical function measures (sit-to-stand 60 [STS60], timed up and go [TUAG], gait speed [GS] and handgrip strength [HGS]). Paired samples t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-intervention variables. Results Case-control: Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 peak) was lower in KTRs (18.4±5.2 mL/kg/min) than in healthy volunteers (24.3 ±5.9 mL/kg/min), a difference of 5.9 mL/kg/min (95% CI, 2.4-9.5), t(38) = 3.35, p