title: The elderly liver transplant recipients: anxiety, depression, fatigue and life satisfaction.
abstract: IntroductionOlder patients are neglected in clinical trials and are likely to be excluded from liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this study was to assess fatigue, anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly LT recipients.MethodsQuestionnaires were mailed to patients who underwent LT between 1993 and 2013. Three groups were created: patients ≥ 70, 60 - 69, and < 60 years old. Mental-health status, life satisfaction, and fatigue were assessed using, respectively, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Questions on Life Satisfaction (FLZ-M), and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20).ResultsIn total, 276 eligible questionnaires (40.1 %) were received out of 689 patients with a history of LT. No age-related differences were found with regard to anxiety or depression in the study sample. Patients ≥ 70 years old had significantly better life satisfaction in regards to income (p = 0.003) and work (p = 0.005) compared to patients < 60 years. The overall fatigue scores were the highest in patients < 60 years (52.7, SD = 15.8) and ≥ 70 years (52.7, SD = 17.7) compared to patients 60 - 69 years old (48.2, SD = 17.3, p = 0.037).DiscussionAdvanced age alone should not be considered a contraindication for LT due to potentially poor quality of life outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Campus Charité-Mitte and Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin,Germany.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Krenzien
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Nicco
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krezdorn
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Campus Charité-Mitte and Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Mehmet H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Morgül
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wiltberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Campus Charité-Mitte and Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin,Germany.
authors.forename: Georgi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Atanasov
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Michael
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hau
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinz
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Campus Charité-Mitte and Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmelzle
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bartels
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Campus Charité-Mitte and Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Benzing
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D066027:Transplant Recipients / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome