B. Nonnast-Daniel

Abstract: Transplant survival is reduced in adolescent patients compared to children and adults.

Non-compliance is considered to be the main reason for rejections and, therefore, seems to be responsible for the worse long-term transplant survival. For this reason, treatment and care of adolescents and young adults after organ transplantation is a challenging situation.

Identification of the factors influencing youth behavior is important, however, intensive care, especially carefully tackling individual problems, is needed to obtain patients’ satisfaction with treatment strategy and care-givers as well as acceptance of the transplanted organ. The young patients have to be trained to take over self-responsibility.

This challenge can only be met successfully as a team (physicians, nurses, assistants, social workers, psychologists, family and friends) in order to achieve an improved quality of life and a prolonged transplant survival.

Key words: transplant survival, adolescent patients, compliance

PD Dr. B. Nonnast-Daniel

Medizinische Klinik IV

Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Krankenhausstr. 12

D-91054 Erlangen