Heat exposure linked to long-term health risks for kidney transplant recipients

[FelineFandom146]

April 11, 2025

Heat exposure linked to long-term health risks for kidney transplant recipients

Key takeaways:

Each year at the highest heat quartile was linked to a 0.74% drop in eGFR for kidney transplant recipients.

Recipients in the hottest vs. coldest quartile had a 30% higher risk for a major adverse kidney event.

BOSTON — Kidney transplant recipients with longer exposure to daily average temperatures of at least 86°F were more likely to experience worsening kidney function, graft failure and death from any cause, according to researchers.

“Heat exposure has relatively well-known short-term effects on the kidneys, increasing rates of acute kidney injury and kidney stone formation. Our study now shows heat exposure is also associated with longer-term impacts on the kidneys in transplant recipients,” Gabriel Cojuc-Konigsberg, MD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the division of nephrology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, told Healio. “This is an important building block in the emerging literature relating heat stress to long-term kidney outcomes, a relationship which remains relatively novel in the nephrology community.”

For the study, Cojuc-Konigsberg and colleagues used data from United Network for Organ Sharing standard transplant analysis and research files on 63,351 U.S. kidney transplant recipients from 250 centers who had consistent yearly follow-up visits. Median follow-up time was 4.9 years; median number of serum creatinine measurements was four. The researchers calculated the time in months each recipient lived in an area with a daily average heat index of 27°C to 31°C (80.6°F to 87.8°F). The highest heat quartile — with temperatures at least 30°C (86°F) — included 58 transplant centers and 14,901 transplant recipients.

Overall, each additional year spent in the highest heat quartile was associated with a statistically significant –0.74% annual decline in eGFR (95% CI, –1.31% to –0.17%) and 30% greater annual risk for all-cause death, graft failure or doubling of serum creatinine (HR = 1.3; 95% CI, 1.15-1.47). Compared with kidney recipients in the coldest quartile, those in the hottest quartile had higher risks for major adverse kidney events, according to the researchers.

“We devote a lot of time and resources to helping our kidney transplant recipients protect their kidney as well as possible,” Cojuc-Konigsberg said. “This study suggests another way we might help these patients optimize kidney function and longevity — by counseling them to avoid situations in which they are exposed to intense heat stress. As we learn further about ways in which kidney transplant recipients are affected by heat stress, we will be able to provide more precise individual-level counseling. These findings also emphasize the need to study the impact of heat stress on kidney transplant recipients globally.”

For more information:Gabriel Cojuc-Konigsberg, MD, can be reached at [e-mail].

Published by:

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Sources/DisclosuresCollapse

Source: Cojuc-Konigsberg G, et al. Abstract G-559. Presented at: NKF Spring Clinical Meetings; April 9-13, 2025; Boston.

Disclosures: Cojuc-Konigsberg reports no relevant financial disclosures.

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[Parkerbarker]

Well no kidding ,dehydration is the worst thing for transplanted kidneys so if one is losing water and sweating and not keeping 100% hydration rate of course it is going to harm and reduce gfr.Case in point outside hospital setting my tranplanted kidney is averaging 120 to 140 ,in hospital on iv fluids done to 90's

[username09842]

Hmm..my Neph says sauna and hot tubbing are ok. Anybody else?

[sondraluvs2run in reply to username09842]

I call BS. I have sauna bathed almost daily for the last 2 years, with the blessing of my Mayo Transplant nephrologist. My creatinine has continued to get better. I am almost 8 years post and my quarterly bloodwork last week creatinine level was .89.

I also always exercise in the heat. I do make an effort to stay hydrated with fluids and electrolytes.

What other things did these heat exposed people do? Nutrition, exercise, sleep?

[PeaB4YouGo]

...and to think, summer used to be my favorite season.

[hope1419]

Well, i agree with Parkerbarker. Ir is a matter of hydration. The warmer the weather is, the more watwe you need to keep yourself cool and keep a good functioning kidney. Same as when you exercise. You need more water as the body temperature rises and you sweat more. I live in an area where the temperature is already over 80 now in April. By July or August, we'll get upto 105, plus heat index. So, we learn fast to deink more water and avoid high peeks of heeat. Besides, I was told I would be athigher risk of getting skin cancer. So, prevention is the key.

[FelineFandom146]

Here is another article that shows how things such as weather affect different people. I am bothered by the heat. I can't do saunas, hot tubs or hot, humid days even when my CKD was stable at Stage 3a. even worse now at Stage 5. And how many of us forget about drinking more water when it is hot out, especially when busy working outside. In fact, even physicians have differing views on this. Some say not to even do hot baths because it raises blood pressure. Some say it is fine. As with anything else, it all depends on the person, your physician and your health problems. Every one is different and reacts differently to heat, cold, meds and more. Glad so many of you are not bothered by heat, but others are. Stay safe.