PACE-KD – Participant Acceptability of Exercise in Kidney Disease
Principal Investigator: Professor Alice Smith
A kidney transplant can transform the health and quality of life for people with kidney disease. Despite this, there is a high rate of heart disease in these patients, which can limit the survival of the kidney and the length and quality of life. Exercise reduces the rate of heart disease in healthy individuals and patients with kidney disease. However, more research needs to be conducted on the effects of exercise on kidney transplant patients, especially in relation to heart disease.
Some kidney transplant patients are highly motivated to participate in sports and exercise beyond the level normally advised for general health purposes, such as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). However, they struggle to find appropriate advice and support to pursue their fitness aims. Some of these patients have approached the Leicester Kidney Exercise team, which sits within the BRC and helps kidney transplant patients explore these gaps in knowledge through patient-centred research.
The PACE-KD study aims to investigate the use of HIIT in kidney transplant patients. The study will randomly assign participants into one of three 8-week exercise programmes: 1 of 2 different forms of high intensity interval training, or moderate-intensity continuous exercise. Participants will be asked about their preferred training methods and we will begin to measure the effects of the different types of training programmes on health and wellbeing, which will eventually help to inform future guidance for kidney transplants in relation to different fitness regimes.
This study is now closed for recruitment and data is being analysed ahead of publication.
The PACE-KD study is funded by a Heart Research UK Translational Project grant and is supported by the NIHR.
For more information about the PACE-KD study please email Professor Alice Smith at kidney.exercise@uhl-tr.nhs.uk or call 0116 258 4346