Recidivism and return to work posttransplant. Recipients with substance abuse histories

The purpose of this retrospective survey was to describe posttransplant recidivism and return to work rates for adult liver transplant recipients with histories of alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) or ARLD and polysubstance use. Recidivism from alcohol was the primary substance analyzed. One hundred and twenty-two adult liver transplant recipients comprised the convenience sample; 98 had histories of ARLD and 24 had both ARLD and polysubstance use. Using a mailed survey, the recipients were asked about their drug and alcohol use (both prior to and following the transplant); family and social issues; and whether they were working posttransplant. The two subgroups of recipients differed with respect to the variables gender, age, and years posttransplant with the ARLD/polysubstance using recipients more likely to be male, younger, and more recent transplant recipients than those with ARLD, alone. Recidivism and return to work rates differed for the two subgroups.