Change in the donors' quality of life after living-donor liver transplantation surgery: A prospective longitudinal study

Abstract

Copyright © 2015 Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Background: Living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has become an acceptable alternative for patients in need for liver transplantation who are not likely to receive a deceased-donor liver transplant due to either a shortage of cadaveric donation or due to certain cultural and religious factors in some countries such as Egypt. Although it is not considered a minor surgical procedure for donors of LDLT, only a few studies have examined the effect of LDLT on the quality of life (QOL) of the donors in the post-transplant period. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the QOL in Egyptian living donors after liver donation and to assess the impact of the emergence of psychiatric symptoms on the donors' QOL. Patients and methods: A total of 33 consecutive liver-transplant donors were selected as actual donors after all medical and psychological tests were performed; they were interviewed and subjected to the Beck Depression Inventory, Taylor's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and the PCASEE Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (the Arabic Egyptian validated version). Clinical and demographic data were collected through a designed questionnaire. Results were analyzed using SPSS statistical version 17. Results: The present study showed a significant reduction in the mean scores for the total and all subscales of QOL, especially the physical and the social subscales 1 month after donation. At 3 months after transplantation, the total QOL and all other domains had returned to their preoperative ranges. The study also revealed that the emergence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in donors of LDLT are correlated with a reduction of their total QOL. Conclusion: The QOL and the psychological outcome were favorable in living liver-transplant donors after donation.