Impacts after renal transplant on psychological-social adjustment

Every year, in France, amongst a population of 60 million inhabitants, about 5000 patients are registered on a transplant waiting list and hope to find in this therapy a solution for their disease, a relief of their handicap, some hope of survival. On 1800 cerebral deaths, only 1000 gave organs used for 3000 transplants, saving many human lives. Unlike people suffering from cardiac and hepatic diseases, end-stage renal patients can use renal haemodialysis during the waiting period. Unfortunately, these patients must follow this treatment for a long time due to a lack of organs. Thanks to medical progresses in transplantation therapeutics, renal patient''s mortality during the first year is very low, i.e. about 2%, what is very weak. It''s about 7% for the first 5 years and 15 % for 10 years. For renal graft survival, 90% of the patients have a functional transplant at the end of their first transplantation year, 80% of them keep it five years later and 65% ten years later. But how did the patients who received an organ transplant live such an event? This study reports on the quality of life of 24 renal transplant patients and 20 ESRD patients. What are the differences between patients on a waiting list and the transplanted patients about their body image, self-esteem and social adjustment? Our methodology is based on a questionnaire on social adjustment, body image scale and a self-esteem inventory created respectively by M. Weissman, M. Bruchon-Schweitzer and S. Coopersmith. The results of this study show that patients had a better body image after their graft. However renal transplant didn''t improve their self esteem and social adjustment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]