title: Health-related quality of life and affective status in liver transplant recipients and patients on the waiting list with low MELD scores.
abstract: This study seeks to examine the impact of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and mental health in patients with different MELD scores.
  
  
  
  Patients who has undergone orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) or were on the waiting list for OLT were submitted to HRQoL and depression/anxiety assessment by questionnaire: Short-Form 36 (SF-36), Questions on Life Satisfaction (FLZ-M), Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Data were analysed following division of patients into three groups: pretransplant patients with a MELD score <10, ≥10, and OLT recipients.
  
  
  
  The surveys were sent to 940 consecutive patients within one week in June 2013. Of these 940 patients, 869 (92.4%) met the inclusion criteria. In total, 291 (33.5%) eligible questionnaires (OLT group: 235, MELD <10: 25; MELD _10: 31) were suitable for analysis. General health (GH), vitality (VIT), and mental health (MH) were lower in both pretransplant groups compared to the OLT group (all p < 0.05). Anxiety and depression were higher in the MELD <10 group than in the OLT group (anxiety: p < 0.05; depression: p < 0.01).
  
  
  
  Patients with low MELD scores seem to benefit from OLT with regards to HRQoL and mental health.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Campus Virchow, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: Christian.benzing@charite.de.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Benzing
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neubergstr. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Nicco
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krezdorn
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral, Transplantation, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstr. 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Förster
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital Leipzig, Philipp-Rosenthal-Str. 55, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinz
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Campus Virchow, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Krenzien
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Campus Virchow, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Georgi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Atanasov
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Campus Virchow, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Department of General, Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmelzle
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral, Transplantation, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstr. 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Michael
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hau
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral, Transplantation, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstr. 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bartels
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D066027:Transplant Recipients / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014850:Waiting Lists; D055815:Young Adult