title: Impact of long-term immunosuppressive therapy on psychosocial and physical well being in liver transplant recipients.
abstract: To achieve the fullest potential of transplantation, continuing concern for the recipients' quality of life must be a part of the process. Database records of patients who are currently alive and received transplants between 1982 and 1991 were retrospectively analyzed. Recipients were contacted and asked to answer a quality-of-life questionnaire. Of 105 liver transplant recipients, 51 died within 10 years after transplantation; 47 were contacted. Posttransplant complications included hypertension (64%), posttransplant diabetes mellitus (17%), osteopenia (40%), osteoporosis (26%), and heart disease (17%). Most recipients reported all aspects of their life to be average, if not better than their age-matched peers. Although most recipients complained about side effects of immunosuppressive agents, they were all happy to be alive and agreed that their quality of life showed an impressive favorable change to a level exceeding that of the general population. These results suggest that liver transplantation not only improved survival but also quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn, USA.
authors.forename: A Tarik
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Kizilisik
authors.forename: Hani P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Grewal
authors.forename: M Hosein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Shokouh-Amiri
authors.forename: Santiago R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Vera
authors.forename: Donna K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Hathaway
authors.forename: A Osama
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Gaber
mesh_terms: D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors