Correlation of health-related quality of life after liver transplant with the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a correlation exists between the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after liver transplant (LT).
DESIGN: Prospective cohort.
SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS: Adult LT recipients (N = 209). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postoperative HRQOL over a 1-year period after LT as measured via multiple regression-based path analysis testing the effects of the MELD score, preoperative variables, and postoperative variables on scores on the physical component summary and mental component summary scales of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and on composite physical and mental HRQOL scores derived from multiple scales.
RESULTS: The MELD score (beta = .16), cholestatic cirrhosis (beta = .12), autoimmune/metabolic disease (beta = .18), neoplasm (beta = .23), time after LT (beta = .16), and the Karnofsky score (beta = .49) had significant effects on the physical component summary scale score. Autoimmune/metabolic disease (beta = .16) and the Karnofsky score (beta = .25) had significant effects on the mental component summary scale score. The MELD score (beta = .15), high school education (beta = .15), college education (beta = .17), autoimmune/metabolic disease (beta = .15), neoplasm (beta = .23), time after LT (beta = .11), and the Karnofsky score (beta = .51) had significant effects on the composite physical HRQOL score. Autoimmune/metabolic disease (beta = .23), neoplasm (beta = .15), and the Karnofsky score (beta = .42) had significant effects on the composite mental HRQOL score.
CONCLUSIONS: An increasing MELD score, when computed without any diagnosis-based exception points, was associated with improved physical HRQOL in the first year after LT. The MELD score did not affect mental HRQOL.