Evaluation of the quality of life in chronic and transplanted liver patients

SUMMARYEvaluation of the Quality of Life in Chronic and Transplanted Liver PatientsChronic liver disease is one of the health problems that negatively affect quality oflife. In our country, we do not have any data regarding quality of life of the patientsthat have chronic liver disease and that had liver transplantation. The aim of thestudy, which constitutes the subject of this thesis, is to evaluate the quality of life ofthe patients with chronic viral hepatitis, cirrhosis and patients of liver transplantation.Thirty patients that are being followed with the diagnosis of chronic hepatitisB or chronic hepatitis C and 30 patients that were clinically diagnosed as cirrhosis atAkdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gastroentrology in Antalya,and 30 patients that had liver transplantation and are being followed at the OrganTransplantation Centre Polyclinic of the same hospital, a total of 90 patients areenrolled into this study. Sociodemographic data form and SF 36 Quality of LifeScale have been used as means of data gathering. For the evaluation of diseaseseverity in patients with cirrhosis, scoring of Child Pugh Test has been used. Chi-Square, Kruskal Wallis, test of Mann Whitney U, and T-test have been used for thestatistical assessment of the data.The quality of life of cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis patients has been foundlower than that of liver transplantation patients. Between quality of life of cirrhosisand hepatitis patients, sub-dimensions of role function physical and physical fitnesshave been found significantly different. Points of chronic hepatitis patients have beenhigh in both of these sub-dimensions. It has been observed that with the increase ofcirrhosis severity, points of SF 36 Quality of Life have not been changed. It has beenfound out that male patients of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis have a higher qualityof life than female patients of these illnesses, while there is no difference between thesexes of liver transplantation patients.In conclusion, quality of life of organ transplanted chronic liver patients ishigher. Quality of life, which is lower in female patients with chronic hepatitis andcirrhosis than males, is similar in both sexes with transplanted patients. Hence, thestudies on the organ donation should be augmented. Also, it can be suggested thatmore social and psychological counseling is provided for female patients. Thequality of life of viral hepatitis patients can be improved if consultancy andcounseling services are given regarding their illnesses.Key Words: Hepatitis B, Hepatitits C, Liver Transplantation, Healt Related Qualityof Life, Cirrhosis