Quality of life and emotional responses in cadaver and living related renal transplant recipients

Background. The specific impact of transplantation on living related donor (LRD) and cadaver (CAD) kidney transplant recipients and their health-related quality of life (HQoL) has received little attention. This study examined the role of sociodemographic, medical and psychological factors in these two groups. Methods. A total of 347 transplant recipients (76 LRD and 271 CAD patients) completed the Short Form 36 Health Survey and Transplant Effects Questionnaire. Results. Overall, transplant patients showed satisfactory HQoL particularly with respect to emotional well being. HQoL levels were found to be equivalent in both transplant groups. ANCOVAs showed that LRD recipients expressed more guilt in relation to the donor (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that worry about the viability and functioning of the transplant alone predicted 15.1% of the variance in the SF-36 mental composite score (MCS) whereas age, income, comorbidities and time on dialysis explained 37.8% of the variance in the SF-36 physical composite score (PCS). Multiple regression analyses performed separately for LRD and CAD patients showed that predictors of MCS and PCS between the two groups were similar. Conclusions. Our results indicate that different forms of transplantation (LRD vs CAD) may lead to different emotional responses albeit with no apparent quality of life differences. In particular, feelings of guilt appear to be prominent in LRD transplantation.