Quality of life and adherence in liver transplant recipients

The assessment of quality of life (QoL) after transplantation represents an ancillary tool to evaluate the efficacy of solid organ transplantation, in addition to graft and patient survival rates and complication. The global assessment of QoL after transplantation usually confirms the improvement when compared to pre-transplant setting. However, whereas significant improvement in physical activity has been widely reported, several studies have demonstrated that social domain and cognitive function do not reach the level of general population after surgery. Post-transplant adherence depends on several factors, including patient personality, level of education, understanding of disease, complexity of medical prescriptions, family support. The evaluation of post-transplant adherence includes adherence to medical prescriptions, in particular to immunosuppressive regimens. QoL and adherence represent crucial issues in the long-term management of liver transplant recipients. Therefore, the transplant professionals should be able to identify risk factors of poor adherence and limited quality of life, in adult and pediatric liver transplant recipients.