The impact of pancreas transplantation on patient employment opportunities.
BACKGROUND
A questionnaire study was designed to determine whether the quality of life benefit provided by receiving a kidney-pancreas (KP) transplant increased the incentive to return to work, compared with patients receiving a kidney alone (KA) transplant.


METHODS
A confidential questionnaire was sent to 58 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who had functioning grafts at least 6 months post-transplant. Thirty-eight patients had received a KP transplant and 20 patients, a KA transplant.


RESULTS
Eighty-three percent of patients returned the questionnaire (87% of KP and 75% of KA patients [p: non-significant (ns)]. The pre-transplant demographic variables of age, gender, educational status, and need for dialysis, were equivalent between the KP and KA groups, respectively (p: ns). At the time of transplantation 39% of KP patients and 33% of KA patients were employed at least 20 h/wk (p: ns). However, post-transplant significantly more KP patients (73%) were working compared with KA patients (27%, p: 0.04). Additionally, pre-transplant employment was independently associated with post-transplant work status (p: 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that the improvement in quality of life associated with pancreas transplantation provide an added incentive for diabetics with renal insufficiency to seek employment.
Knight
Richard J
RJ
Division of Immunology and Organ Transplantation, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. richard.j.knight@uth.tmc.edu
Daly
Lisa
L
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation; D011788:Quality of Life; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires