Pain and health related quality of life after heart, kidney, and liver transplantation

No study has focused particularly on the sensory and affective experience o f bodily pain among transplanted patients. The aim of this study was to exp lore pain and other factors that influence health related quality of life ( HRQOL) in heart, kidney, and liver transplant recipients during the first 2 yr after transplantation, and to define similarities and/or differences in the three groups. A total of 76 patients, 18-60 yr old, undergoing heart, kidney, or liver tr ansplantation between 1995 and 1997 with a follow-up of 6-24 months were in cluded. HRQOL and pain were investigated by using the Short-Form-36 items ( SF-36), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), and the Pain-O-Met er (POM). Overall, the patients show satisfactory HRQOL. There were no differences in experienced HRQOL 6-24 months after transplantation between kidney, liver, and heart transplant recipients except in the area of Role-Physical (RP). Fifty-three percent of all patients reported bodily pain. The most common l ocations were the hands, feet, and back, and sensory experiences were burni ng, stabbing, or dull pain. There was a correlation between number of rejec tions and total score for POM-VAS (p < 0.05) (rho = 0.47). There was also a correlation between the number of rejection episodes and the total pain in tensity score for POM-WDS (p < 0.05) (rho = 0.48). Patients with pain score d higher in the area of depression (p < 0.05). Bodily pain is an important problem after organ transplantation, affecting daily living even in patients with good allograft function and it limits ph ysical function, vitality, and general health.