Quality of life in renal transplant recipient and donor

Quality of life (QoL) assessment in renal transplant patients has become an important tool in evaluating outcomes. In this work the QoL of the renal transplant donor and recipient are compared to healthy, age- and BMI-matched individuals.

The donors were all living related. The immunosuppression protocol was prednisolone, cyclosporine/tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil/azathioprine. Renal function was stable. Quality of life was assessed by KDQOL-SF-36. It includes 36 items divided into 8 scales.

Comparison among healthy subjects (n = 20), kidney donor (n = 20), vs recipients (n = 40) for age was 35 ± 8, 40 ± 11, vs 37 ± 10 years (P = NS), and BMI was 23 ± 5, 21 ± 4, vs 21 ± 4 kg/m(2) (P = NS). The mean duration of transplantation of donor and recipients was 22 ± 11 vs 28 ± 25 months (P = NS). Items in SF-36 among 3 groups, respectively, showed general health scores of 48 ± 23, 60 ± 20, vs 59 ± 20; physical functioning 61 ± 28, 84 ± 23, vs 76 ± 265; role physical 31 ± 38, 70 ± 44, vs 636 ± 53; pain 79 ± 36, 73 ± 23, vs 69 ± 25; emotional well-being 63 ± 17, 74 ± 14, vs 73 ± 34; social function 83 ± 20, 95 ± 8, vs 91 ± 15, and energy/fatigue 57 ± 17, 62 ± 16, vs 58 ± 15; (P = NS) was similar in all groups. Correlation studies showed strong positive association of all the items with each other.

This study finding is in accordance with the expected outcome that QoL improves significantly to near normal in renal transplant recipients. At the same time donors' QoL also is not compromised. Both donor and recipient have similar high quality scores to those of a healthy person.