A study published in Clinical and Molecular Hepatology reported a high employment rate (50%) after liver transplantation (LT), among the adult population.

Considering the 5-year survival rate of more than 70% after LT, returning to normal activity in the work place and quality of life are important for long-term survival of LT patients. Many clinicians have focused on restoring social quality of life (QOL), returning to the work place and prolonging life expectancy after LT. Therefore, employment after LT is a recovery target for many patients.

Fatigue and weakness are the main symptoms in many LT recipients. The findings showed that 50% of liver recipients remain unemployed after LT, mostly due to fatigue and muscle weakness.

Hence, the importance of rehabilitation therapy is emphasized to reduce fatigue and improve performance by increasing muscle mass after LT. Fatigue can be improved by a 12-week rehabilitation program including exercises and physical activity from 53% to 22%. Additionally, rehabilitation programs should be helpful in social reintegration of LT recipients.

LT recipients benefit from returning to work but face barriers in obtaining and maintaining a job. Furthermore, socioeconomic and labor market characteristics limit continuous employment of LT recipients. In employed recipients, intermittent attendance, bad working environment and delayed employment are common after LT. Therefore, good quality jobs are also important.

In inference, it was stated that further research is needed to identify and facilitate the factors that enable transplant patients to return to normal life.

Source: Kim JM. Rehabilitation for social reintegration in liver transplant patients. Clin Mol Hepatol. 2018;24(4):370–371. doi:10.3350/cmh.2018.1012