Quality of Life and Liver Transplant: A Comparative Evaluation between Different Post-transplant Phases

Background: Liver transplantation is a procedure used worldwide; however, after a surgery many changes are necessary for this outcome; therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the quality of life of liver transplant patients in the recent, and intermediate post-operative periods. Materials and Methods: A cross–sectional study with a quantitative approach conducted in the Liver Transplant Outpatient Service of the Walter Cantidio University Hospital (Hospital Universitário Walter Cantídio, HUWC) belonging to the Federal University of Ceará (Universidade Federal do Ceará, UFC). Data collection was carried out between July 2019 and August 2021. A total of 30 patients met the study inclusion criteria and were therefore characterised regarding gender, age, marital status, family income, origin, and reason for the transplant. The quality of life results were obtained through the Liver Disease Quality of Life (LDQOL) questionnaire. The Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) programme was used to store and analyse the data. Results: There was predominance of the male gender (n=20; 66.7%). The predominant age group was from 50 to 59 years old (n=9; 30%), and most of the interviewees were married (n=15; 50%). The most frequent family income was between 2 and 4 minimum wages (11; 36.6%), and most of the patients were from the Northeast region (n=21; 70%). In turn, regarding the cause of the liver disease, alcohol abuse was the reason for the transplants in a total of 9 (30%) patients. The quality of life analysis through LDQOL showed an increase in the scores from the recent post-transplant period to the intermediate post-transplant period, with significant scores (p<0.05) for the following domains: symptoms, effects of the liver disease, social issues, concern about the disease, sexual function, sleep, and isolation. Conclusion: There was a significant and positive difference in quality of life in the intermediate post-transplant period when compared to the initial phase of the transplant, with liver transplant considered as the best definitive treatment option for chronic, and irreversible liver diseases.