Cross-sectional analysis of health-related quality of life in pediatric liver transplant recipients.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the distribution of health-related quality of life in pediatric liver transplant recipients compared with a normative population.


METHODS
This cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted at select centers. Patients between 2 and 18 years of age, surviving liver transplantation by at least 12 months, were eligible. Parent/guardian fluency in English or Spanish was required. Children > or =8 years and parents of all children completed the age-appropriate versions of the PedsQL 4.0 (Mapi Research Institute, Lyon, France). Scores were compared with a sample of healthy children (n = 3911) matched by age group, sex, and race/ethnicity and with a sample of pediatric patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation.


RESULTS
Participants included 65% (873/1339) of eligible patients. Mean age was 8.17 +/- 4.43 years, and 55% were female. The total and subscale scores of PedsQL 4.0 were lower than in healthy children (P < .001), with effect sizes for self-report ranging from -0.25 for Emotional Functioning to -0.68 for School Functioning. Patients and their parents reported better physical functioning than patients with cancer but similar social and school functioning. Correlations between parent and self-reports were in the moderate agreement range.


CONCLUSIONS
Pediatric liver transplant recipients and their parents report lower health-related quality of life than control subjects with some domains equal to children receiving cancer therapy.
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital, 2300 Children's Plaza, Box 65, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. e-alonso@northwestern.edu
Estella M
EM
Alonso
Christine A
CA
Limbers
Katie
K
Neighbors
Karen
K
Martz
John C
JC
Bucuvalas
Thomas
T
Webb
James W
JW
Varni
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011788:Quality of Life; D012917:Social Adjustment; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States