Parents' education level and mortality and morbidity of children after liver transplantation.
BACKGROUND
So far numerous post-transplant outcome predictors have been studied to decrease the loss of resources and grafts after organ transplantation. The role of education, as a predictor, in liver transplantation outcome has so far been studied in several articles. However, in most of the studies it was evaluated as a surrogate for socioeconomic status or other variants. The absolute impact of parents' education has rarely been studied. Adult patients are their own caregivers whereas pediatric liver transplantation recipients are mostly cared by their parents.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of level of patients' education on the mortality and morbidity of pediatric liver transplant recipients.


METHODS
We studied a group of 91 children who had undergone liver transplantation in our center from March 21, 2012 to July 21, 2013. In this retrospective study, patients' medical charts and questionnaire were used to collect the necessary data. Post-transplantation mortality and complications were divided into two categories: Early (<6 months after liver transplantation), and late (≥6 months after the transplantation). Parents' educational level was also categorized into 5 groups.


RESULTS
Multivariate analysis of all groups showed that paternal education is an independent predictor of the late post-transplantation complications (p=0.024). Educational level of children's mothers had no significant correlation with the late post-transplantation complications (p=0.45). Neither maternal (p=0.59) nor paternal (p=0.607) education had significant effect on the late post-transplantation mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
Paternal educational level of liver transplanted children is associated with the late post-transplantation complications.
Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Z
Z
Bahador
Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
S M
SM
Dehghani
Shiraz Organ Transplant Center, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
A
A
Bahador
Shiraz Organ Transplant Center, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
S
S
Nikeghbalian
Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
N
N
Hafezi
Shiraz Organ Transplant Center, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
M
M
Bahador
Shiraz Organ Transplant Center, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
S A
SA
Malek-Hosseini
Educational status; Liver transplantation; Medication adherence; Parents; Pediatrics; Postoperative complications