REHABILITATION AND PROBLEMS OF EXPERTISE AFTER KIDNEY-TRANSPLANTATION

Growing importance is being assumed in every-day practice by expert assessment of occupational fitness or disability of patients with renal diseases. An analysis was made of 408 patients, 18 months to 21 years after kidney transplantation, to establish the degree of occupational rehabilitation. For that purpose, findings were related to some clinical and chemical laboratory parameters as well as to patient's educational backgrounds. One hundred of these patients (24.5 percent) were recipients of disability pension and were out of any employment, while 248 (60.8 percent) were in legally authorised part-time employment while receiving disability pension. Only 60 patients (14.7 percent) were in full occupational fitness. The number of patients with normal serum creatinine levels, normal blood pressure, twelve-grade school certificate (A-Level) as well as with university degrees in the group of fully employed was higher than that in the group of non-employed disability pensioners. Age of recipiency and biological age were lower in the first group. These findings were of statistical significance. The extent of medical rehabilitation in the wake of kidney transplantation, as a rule, would permit part-time employment, though only few post-transplantation patients would be restored to full occupational fitness. Rehabilitation of patients with renal diseases should be initiated at an early stage of renal insufficiency.