Quality of Life after Pediatric Lung Transplantation

Abstract

In recent decades, pediatric lung transplantation has developed into a well-accepted therapy for children and adolescents as ultimate ratio for terminal lung diseases. Although quality of life is an essential goal for a transplantation, only few data on this topic have been published yet. This study uses a standardized questionnaire to examine the health-related quality of life of patients who were lung transplanted at the Medical University of Vienna during childhood and adolescence. In this single-center cross-sectional study, 19 patients aged 8 to 40 were included in the study. The Euroqol-questionnaire and a self-designed questionnaire for information on school attendance, employment and housing situation were used. Pediatric patients waiting for lung transplantation served as control group. Pre- and post-transplant parameters were assessed for a potential influence on quality of life. The survey was done between November 2016 and October 2018. We demonstrated an improvement of quality of life after lung transplantation, as shown by a mean Euroqol Score of 1 (0-1) and a mean VAS score of 92 (0-100). The results were comparable to published data in healthy adults (Euroqol 0,96, VAS 87) and significantly better compared to our control group on the waiting list (Euroqol 0,43, VAS 68, both p<0,01). Employment rate also improved from 33 to 71%. Complication rates (pulmonary, nephrological, hepatological, neurological, psychiatric, diabetes mellitus) increased over time, with many of these complications correlating with a reduction in quality of life, especially the pulmonary parameters. Quality of life was found to correlate negatively with time since transplantation, however, scores after five years still exceeded those of patients on the waiting list. The results confirm a good quality of life after pediatric lung transplantation.