Symptom Experience Associated With Immunosuppressive Medications in Chinese Kidney Transplant Recipients

    July 2015 in “ Journal of nursing scholarship ”
    Sha Teng, Shuping Zhang, Wenxin Zhang, Xiaohong Lin, Yabin Shang, Peng Xiao, Hongxia Liu
    Studysummary This study found that kidney transplant recipients who experienced higher levels of symptom distress from immunosuppressive medications were more likely to be nonadherent to their medication regimen. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
    The study evaluated the symptom experience associated with immunosuppressive medications in 231 Chinese kidney transplant recipients, using a cross-sectional design. High blood pressure, hair loss, and tiredness were the most distressing symptoms. Hair loss was particularly distressing for women, while high blood pressure was most distressing for men. Recipients in the 4- to 16-year post-transplant cohort experienced higher symptom distress, especially with excess hair growth and difficulty sleeping, compared to those in the 1- to 4-year cohort. A negative relationship was found between symptom distress and adherence to immunosuppressive medications (r = -.541, p = .000). Understanding these symptoms is crucial for healthcare providers to improve quality of life and medication adherence.
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