Background: At the initiative and with funding from the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, two surveys were conducted: one focusing on the quality of life of dialysis patients and the other on the quality of life of kidney transplant recipients. This abstract presents the objectives, methodology, and results of the survey on the quality of life of kidney transplant recipients conducted in 2007. Objectives: The primary objective was to describe the quality of life of kidney transplant patients. The chosen purpose was epidemiological surveillance. The secondary objectives were to: - Contribute to understanding the main factors associated with quality of life in kidney transplant patients; - Compare the results of this transplant cohort with those of the dialysis cohort, as these two treatments are the major determinants of quality of life in chronic kidney disease. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients representative of the prevalent population with a functional graft for at least one year, followed in transplant centers across the eight regions participating in the REIN system in 20051. Data collection was based on two quality-of-life questionnaires: a generic one, the SF-36, and one specific to kidney transplant recipients, the ReTransQol, as well as a section regarding the patient’s sociodemographic and medical profile. These questionnaires were mailed to the patient’s home address and collected via return mail. This study was coordinated by the CIC-EC Inserm Clinical Epidemiology Center at the Nancy University Hospital and the Public Health and Medical Information Department of the Hôpital de la Conception at the Marseille University Hospital. This study involved the French Biomedicine Agency for the random selection and quality control of data from the CRISTAL database. This initial study took place in 2006–2007 and is scheduled to be repeated during the plan’s implementation period. Results: Forty-five percent of transplant patients had at least one score below the threshold defining an impaired quality of life. The quality of life of transplant patients is lower than that of the general population across all dimensions, but higher than that of dialysis patients. Gender, age, educational level, family status, employment status and its changes, as well as job loss due to illness, were strongly associated with both general and specific dimensions. Thus, women, older patients, those without employment, those living alone, and those reporting job loss due to their illness had lower quality of life levels. The duration since transplantation, the duration of dialysis, a BMI >30, the presence of diabetes, and non-adherence negatively influenced quality of life in nearly all dimensions; similarly, the presence of intercurrent health events and treatment side effects significantly impaired all dimensions of quality of life. In contrast, age had a positive influence on specific quality-of-life dimensions related to treatment, quality of care, and fear of graft loss; thus, older patients were less anxious about losing their graft, tolerated their treatment better, and had a more positive perception of the quality of care. Discussion: The differences in quality of life between dialysis and transplant patients compared to the general population highlight the beneficial effects of kidney transplantation. All possible measures to improve access to transplantation and reduce time spent on dialysis should be implemented. Factors to consider for improving the quality of life of transplant patients include better monitoring of treatment side effects, return to work, physical rehabilitation measures for patients with muscle weakness, screening and management of depressive symptoms, and dietary consultations for patients experiencing weight gain-related side effects. These measures could be incorporated into the national plan to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic diseases. (R.A.)