Quality of life for pediatric liver recipients

1. The measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children must be performed with instruments that are sensitive to developmental changes and that include assessments of domains of function that are specific to childhood. 2. Pediatric liver transplant recipients report HRQOL outcomes that are lower than normative samples. Although both physical function and psychosocial function are reported to be lower, the largest differences are observed in the area of school functioning. It is yet unknown whether these differences are related to an increased prevalence of developmental delays or learning disabilities in this population. It is also possible that missing days of school because of illness or visits to doctors may play an important role. 3. The impact of variables such as age and the interval from transplantation on HRQOL in this population has not been fully examined. However, it appears that age at the time of testing may have an impact, with lower function observed in older children.