Subject(s)
Brain/pathology , Encephalitis/diagnostic imaging , Encephalitis/physiopathology , Escherichia coli Infections/diagnostic imaging , Escherichia coli Infections/physiopathology , Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome/complications , Shiga Toxin , Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli , Adult , Aged , Cerebrovascular Circulation/physiology , Disease Outbreaks , Female , Germany , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nervous System Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Nervous System Diseases/etiology , Nervous System Diseases/physiopathology , Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial , Vascular Resistance/physiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
The main aim of the study was to explore well-being after donation. This retrospective, cross-sectional study of 161 living kidney donors (104 women; response rate 81.4%) who were aged between 32 and 80 years (x = 56.3; standard deviation = 10.9) included responses to standardized questionnaires concerning quality of life (QOL), coping, and mental health status. Most donors recovered fully from donation within 6 months (90.8%). Donor willingness to donate again (96.1%) was high. Their relationship to the recipient did not change (67.9%) or even improved (27.5%) in most cases. Donor QOL (as assessed by the Short-Form [SF]-36) did not differ from healthy norms. In 25% of donors, screening with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale revealed anxious and/or depressive symptoms above the clinical cutoff score. Donor predominant coping style with their recipient's renal disease was "active problem-focused coping." The component scores of the SF-36 correlated positively with sociodemographic and self-reported medical parameters, coping, and mental health status. Although living kidney donation again proved to be a treatment without negative impact on donor QOL, the results underlined the importance of screening for donor mental health status and coping both in the evaluation process and after the procedure.
