Effect of Orthotopic Liver Transplantation on the Health-Related Quality of Life in Indian Patients with End-Stage Liver Disease: A Prospective Study

Abstract

BACKGROUNDHealth-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important measure of the effects of end stage liver disease in affected patients that helps to improve well-being after Liver transplantation (LT). One study has been performed to access HRQoL pre and post liver transplant (LT) patients in India. Our study was aimed to determine HRQoL in pre and post orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) with correlation between severity of liver disease by Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)/Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) status with HRQoL post OLT. METHODSStudy was designed as a single center, observational, prospective and longitudinal study. HRQoL was evaluated by SF-36 questionnaire in sixty (50 male and 10 female with average age of 45 years) patients with end stage liver disease; having HCV related cirrhosis with alcoholic and cryptogenic liver disease forming the second and third largest groups respectively. HRQoL was evaluated pre and post OLT also correlation of MELD/CTP scores and diabetes status with post-OLT HRQoL was determined. Patients were followed up for a period of 3 months after OLT. RESULTSPost OLT patients had higher scores in comparison to pre OLT. There was a signi cant difference in all eight domains of the SF-36 scores (p < 0.001) post OLT. Negative correlation was observed between MELD/CTP scores and HRQoL post OLT with signi cance in the domain of vitality and mental component summary in MELD and physical functioning in CTP (p < 0.05). Diabetes did not exert any signi cant effect on HRQoL. CONCLUSIONSOLT have an improved HRQoL when compared to their pre transplant status. MELD/CTP scores were not predictive of HRQoL post OLT, while DM status did not exhibit any effect on HRQoL after OLT.