Patients' self-perceived health, coping, anxiety, depression and stress before and up to 2 years after a heart or lung transplantation.

• Background: Psychosocial factors are important aspects for patients before, on waiting list, and after a heart or lung transplantation.Aim: To illuminate patients' self-­‐perceived health, coping, anxiety, depression and stress before and up to 2 years after heart or lung transplantation.Method: Fifty-­‐four adult patients (28 cardiac and 26 lung) were included. They responded to questionnaires about quality of life, coping, anxiety, depression and stress when they were accepted for the transplant waiting list, then 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after a heart or lung transplantation. Result: Mean waiting time was 37 weeks for cardiac patients and 29 weeks for lung patients. The patients had a lower coping ability and self-­‐perceived health at baseline and showed an improvement over time after the transplantation. Excluding pain, which increased and persisted over time after the transplantation, especially for the lung patients. Twenty-­‐three percent of all patients showed clinically anxiety before transplantation compared to 0-­‐8 % after transplantation. However, both before and after, clinical depression was significantly less frequent. Nearly half (44 %) of the patients scored medium or high level of intrusion stress and 38% of avoidance stress before the transplantation, which declined gradually over the years.Conclusion: Transplantation has led to positive psychosocial effects at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after the heart or lung transplantation for most of the patients. The healthcare professionals must ensure to be aware of the challenges faced by their patients in daily living, not only the symptoms of their severe chronic disease but also psychosocial factors mainly before but even after a heart or lung transplantation. Patients have an underlying serious, chronic disease where severe long-­‐term life-­‐threatening complications suddenly can occur

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MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Annan hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Other Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

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