Medical adherence and liver transplantation: a brief review

Abstract

Liver transplantation remains the only feasible long-term treatment option for patients with end-stage liver disease. Despite significant medical and surgical advances over the decades, liver transplantation remains a complex undertaking with the need for indefinite immunosuppression and avoidance of patient behaviours that may jeopardize the allograft. Adherence (formerly called “compliance”) to medical recommendations in terms of anti-rejection medications and—in the case of alcoholic liver disease, abstinence—is considered a key cornerstone to long-term allograft and patient survival. Not surprisingly, a history of habitual non-adherence is considered a contraindication to liver transplantation, especially re-transplantation. It is often assumed that non-adherence policies are “self-evidential” based on “common sense” and “expert opinion.” In fact, non-adherence and its negative effects have been well studied in medicine, including in solid organ transplantation. In this review, we present the evidence that non-adherence to medical advice is clearly associated with worse medical outcomes, supporting the concept that efforts to support patient adherence post-transplant need to be optimized at all times.