Current Lifestyle of Young Adults After Liver Transplantation During Childhood

Investigation of the current life-style of 116 young adults aged 17 years or more who had undergone LT in childhood, showed that most appeared at particular risk for delays in autonomy, and exhibited psychological disturbances that might partly account for lower performances at school than healthy peers. See editorial by Heneghan on page 1505.

The authors studied the psychosocial adjustment of pediatric liver transplant (LT) recipients reaching adulthood. The study comprised phone interviews of 116 volunteers aged 17–33 years. Results were compared to those for healthy peers and 65 patients who were eligible for inclusion but did not participate. Participants’ median age at LT was 6 years and the median period since LT was 15 years. Of the 116 participants, 76% considered their quality of life as good or very good. Seventy-five patients (65%) were attending schools, 27 of whom were 2 years or more below the age-appropriate level. Of the remaining 41 patients, 26 had a job and 15 were unemployed. Poor compliance with medications was reported by 52 patients (45%). Alcohol consumption was lower than in the reference population (p < 0.001). Anxiety, loneliness and negative thoughts were expressed by 53, 84 and 47% of the participants, respectively. Thirteen patients (11%) were being cared for by psychologists or psychiatrists. The 65 nonparticipants had greater psychological problems than the participants, and a lower educational level. In conclusion, after LT in early life, most patients displayed psychological vulnerability during early adulthood. The educational level of patients was lower than that of theirs peers.