Evaluation of Quality of Life in Children Six Months after Liver Transplantation

Abstract

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is now performed as a cure of numerous untreatable pediatric liver diseases. Quality of life (QoL) can be affected in pediatric patients with LT. Many factors are responsible for lower scores of QoL. This article aims to detail QoL in liver recipients 6 months after LT in children.

Methods: QoL assessed using child health quality-parent form 50 for parents (CHQ-PF 50) and child health quality-child form 87 for children ≥10 year of age (CHQ-CF 87) questionnaires in 50 children with LT, and their parents.

Results: According to CHQ-PF 50 questionnaire, QoL was found to be significantly lower in children compared with healthy children. Due to CHQ-CF 87 questionnaire, QoL was similar in pediatric liver recipients compared with normal population.

Conclusion: According to parents' judgment, childhood liver recipients have impaired QoL. This may be due to multiple factors including concerning for long term outcome of LT, comparing their child with other children, and complications of LT. On the other hand, older children and adolescents think that their QoL is similar to healthy children. It seems that with decreasing risk factors, we can reduce stress on families and improve QoL.