Exercise Interventions for Transplant Recipients

AbstractPurpose of ReviewTo discuss the data which supports post-solid organ transplant (SOT) exercise prescription as well as the potential benefits of incorporating exercise into post-transplant care.Recent FindingsSolid organ transplantation reverses the physiologic derangements which occur in the setting of end-stage liver, lung, kidney, and heart disease. However, many conditions which accompany end-stage organ failure, such as sarcopenia and frailty, or those which are present pre-transplant, such as obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS), may improve at variable rates or 16 not at all after SOT. These conditions can also occur de novo post-transplant. Immunosuppression (IS) regimens may lead to the development of transplant MetS as well as osteoporosis. Many of these aforementioned factors and conditions can impact short and long-term survival as well as risk for adverse cardiovascular (CV) events, While there are medications which can treat obesity, MetS, and osteoporosis, exercise as a therapy in this patient population is potentially underappreciated and under- prescribed.SummaryThe incorporation of exercise and lifestyle modification into post-SOT care can facilitate a patient ’s return to a more functional and meaningful life while also address the numerous comorbidities associated with transplantation.
Source: Current Transplantation Reports - Category: Transplant Surgery Source Type: research