Trumper A, Appleby L
School of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Withington Hospital, University of Manchester, Nell Lane, West Didsbury, M20 8LR, Manchester, UK.
J Psychosom Res. 2001 Feb;50(2):103-5. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3999(00)00214-2.
To determine the rate of psychiatric disorder in people undergoing heart and/or lung transplantation; to identify the associations of psychiatric disorder in this group.
Preoperative assessments were carried out on an 18-month sample of consecutive admissions to a regional unit for heart and lung transplantation in the UK. Assessment included psychiatric morbidity, sexual dysfunction, quality of life, and demographic and clinical characteristics.
Seventy-six of 79 eligible subjects took part in the assessment. Thirty (39%) were suffering from a psychiatric disorder, the most common being major depressive disorder. Forty-four (58%) reported sexual dysfunction. Clinically significant psychiatric morbidity was associated with a history of treatment for mental disorder, unemployment, and length of physical illness. Patients with psychiatric disorder reported poorer quality of life on the SF-36, with lower scores on subscales for general health perception, social functioning, and energy/vitality.
There is a substantial rate of psychiatric disorder in people undergoing heart and/or lung transplantation. Risk is higher in people with a history of psychiatric vulnerability and current illness-related factors. Preoperative psychiatric assessment and intervention in some patients may be a valuable part of their clinical care.
