Height‐adjusted lean body mass and its associations with physical activity and kidney function in pediatric kidney transplantation

Background Although LBM is positively associated with health outcomes, studies assessing determinants for the accrual of ht‐LBM, such as physical activity, are limited. This study aimed to assess ht‐LBM levels in pediatric kidney transplant recipients and test its association with baseline and contemporaneous variables, including physical activity. Methods A retrospective cross‐sectional review was performed on 46 pediatric kidney transplant recipients, and a longitudinal review was performed on a subset of recipients with serial post‐transplant (n = 21) and pre/post‐transplant (n = 11) ht‐LBM measurements. Ht‐LBM measurements were obtained using DXA scans. Results This cohort was 16.0 (IQR 12.3, 17.7) years old, 56.5% male and 46 ± 45 months post‐transplant with a mean ht‐LBM of 15.1 ± 2.5 kg/m2. A median ht‐LBM increase of 1.6 kg/m2 (IQR − 0.1, 2.6 kg/m2; p