[Assessment of Functional Capacity and Pulmonary in Pediatrics Patients Renal Transplantation]

Introduction: Pediatric patients undergoing kidney transplantation can present changes in pulmonary function and functional capacity for exercise.

Objective: To evaluate the functional capacity and pulmonary function in children and adolescents undergoing kidney transplantation.

Method: Children and adolescents aged six to 18 years of age were evaluated in Outpatient Clinic of Nephrology, Hospital da Criança Santo Antônio, Santa Casa de Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil in period the june of 2010 the march of 2011. Pulmonary capacity was assessed by spirometry and maximal respiratory pressures and functional capacity through 6-minute walk test (6MWT).

Results: The sample comprised 25 patients, 14 (56%) males with a mean age of 13.5 ± 3.3 years. From, 19 (76%) underwent dialysis before transplantation. Mean forced vital capacity (FVC) was 97.91 + 24.32% and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 100.53 + 17.66% from predicted value. In the 6MWT, the patients walked 229.14 meters less than predicted (p < 0.001). The maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) was significantly lower than predicted, and the difference in cmH₂O -24.63 (p = 0.03), as the maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), with a difference of 49.27 cmH₂O (p < 0.001). By correlating, functional capacity, spirometry and maximal respiratory pressures, find an association between FVC and 6MWT (r = 0.52, p = 0.01) and FVC and MIP (r = 0.54, p = 0.01).

Conclusion: Reduced functional capacity and maximum respiratory pressures were diagnosed in a small cohort of pediatric patients after kidney transplantation. Better the functional capacity and PiMáx better the FVC.