Quality of life of pancreas transplant recipients

The quality of life outcome of 131 pancreas transplant recipients who were 1 to 11 years post-transplant were studied. Patients with a functioning pancreas graft (n=65) described their current quality of life and rated their health significantly more favourably than those with non-functioning grafts (n=66). For example, of those patients with a functioning pancreas graft, 68% expressed overall satisfaction with their life, 89% felt healthier since their transplant, and 78% reported that they could care for themselves and their routine daily activities. In contrast, of those patients without a functioning graft, only 48% expressed overall satisfaction with life (p<0.01), only 25% felt healthier since their transplant (p<0.001), and only 56% indicated they could care for themselves and their daily activities (p<0.001). Regardless of graft function, the majority of patients were comfortable with their decision to have the transplant, and most of the patients with pancreas graft function reported that they would have another transplant if their graft failed. While successful pancreas transplantation may not elevate all diabetic patients to the level of health and function of the general population, these patients report a significantly better quality of life than do those patients who remain diabetic.