RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Aim of this study was to evaluate the role of physical rehabilitation to improve the quality of life (QOL) of people after kidney transplantation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Analyzes the results of treatment of 57 recipients (mean age 35 +/- 9.65 years) donor kidney at different times of the postoperative period. Depending on the physical rehabilitation program allocated 3 groups of patients: group II--physical rehabilitation was carried out only in the first week after surgery to prevent early postoperative complications, in group I--during the year; in group III combined 30 relatively healthy people do not need an organ transplant and with a mean age 33.7 +/- 8.7 years, leading a normal life, not engaged in regular recreational physical culture. Quality of life was assessed using a questionnaire SF36 at 1, 3, 6 and a 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: One year after surgery in both groups compared with preoperative indicators marked improvement according to all scales of the questionnaire. However, in group I indicators of quality of life were higher than in group II from 11.4 to 19.7%, and even some items questionnaire SF-36 is higher than in group III which is associated with the physical rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: It has been shown that exercises is an important component of treatment and rehabilitation after kidney transplantation and help improve both the psychological and the physical component of quality of life.