Quality of life in adult survivors beyond 10 years after liver, kidney, and heart transplantation.
BACKGROUND
The yearly increasing survival rates testify to the success of transplantation, but questions remain relating to the quality of life (QOL) associated with long-term survival.


METHODS
A sample of 126 liver recipients (Liver-R), 229 kidney recipients (Kidney-R), and 113 heart recipients (Heart-R) with more than 10 years posttransplant follow-up were included in the study with a response rate of 86%. Respondents were matched with healthy subjects recruited from general population (GP). The three groups of recipients and GP subjects completed a French version of the questionnaire used by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, Pittsburgh, PA, and were compared for each score, with adjustments for age and sex.


RESULTS
Personal function and measures of disease by the transplant recipients were significantly worse than in the GP (P<0.0001), with the worst score in Kidney-R. No difference, either between organs or between organs and GP, was found regarding the perceived social and role function. However, for psychologic status and general health perception, Kidney-R had the least favorable performance when compared with GP (P<0.01) and also when compared with Liver-R (P<0.05). With the exception of Kidney-R, the well-being index of Liver-R and Heart-R was significantly better than the GP (P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
The QOL beyond 10 years after liver, heart, and kidney transplantation is quite similar to the GP, with Kidney-R starting out as the worst, Heart-R as intermediate, and Liver-R the best.
Karam
Vincent H
VH
Centre Hépato Biliaire, Hôpital Paul Brousse, 4 Avenue Paul Vaillant-Couturier, 94804 Villejuif Cedex, France. vincent.karam@pbr.ap-hop-paris.fr
Gasquet
Isabelle
I
Delvart
Valérie
V
Hiesse
Christian
C
Dorent
Richard
R
Danet
Colette
C
Samuel
Didier
D
Charpentier
Bernard
B
Gandjbakhch
Iradj
I
Bismuth
Henri
H
Castaing
Denis
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors