Cross-sectional study of quality of life in liver transplant recipients

Objective To investigate the quality of life (QOL) in patients after liver transplantation (LT). Methods QOL of 326 liver transplant recipients was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) and the general information was collected at the same time. Results The mean scores of liver transplant recipients for SF-36 Mental Component Summary (MCS) and Physical Component Summary (PCS) were (49.47±7.66) and (49.58±9.68) respectively, which were statistically lower than national residents (P 0.05). Recipients′ PCS scores were significantly correlated to their gender and time after LT, while MCS scores were correlated to their age, gender and time after LT (P<0.05). Conclusions The QOL of liver transplant recipients is lower than normal people, especially in the first year after LT. The age, gender and time after LT are independent influence factors of QOL in liver transplant recipients. Key words: Liver transplant; Quality of life; Cross-sectional study