Psychosocial Assessment and Management-related Issues Among Liver Transplant Recipients

Background and aim: Liver transplant cases have been rising and becoming the choice of treatment for many patients with end-stage liver diseases. With an increasing number of qualified treatment centers and facilities, the effectiveness of liver transplants has been observed to increase over the years. But the success of liver transplants and the quality of life post-transplant have been observed to be influenced due to psychiatric comorbidities. Method: We searched for literature using terms for 'Psychosocial factors', 'liver transplant', 'psychiatric disorders', 'treatment outcomes', and related terms, 'AUD/SUD' in three databases: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. Articles published in English and that provided original data analyses were included while commentaries and review articles were excluded. This review article focuses on an association between various psychiatric disorders/ Substance Use Disorder (SUD)/Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and liver transplant out-comes which indicated the need for psychiatric treatment and its role in improved overall transplant outcomes and enhanced quality of life. Results: Majority of the studies indicated a negative association between psychiatric disorder, AUD, and SUD with the treatment outcomes post liver transplant. A few studies were found supporting a multidisciplinary approach to handling liver transplant patients for a more effective and improved treatment outcome. Conclusion: The current evidence suggests a need for developing an inte-grated approach to assessment and management of psychiatric and psychosocial issues related to liver trans-plant recipients. ( J CLIN EXP HEPATOL 2024;14:101261)

Automated summary

Liver transplant surgery has shown increasing effectiveness in treating patients with end-stage liver diseases, but the presence of psychiatric comorbidities has been observed to impact the success of the surgery and post-transplant quality of life. Research suggests a negative association between psychiatric disorders, alcohol use disorders, substance use disorders and treatment outcomes post liver transplant. Some studies support a multidisciplinary approach for better treatment outcomes.