Hepatitis C in patients undergoing liver transplantation.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) among patients undergoing liver transplantation and the relation between anti-HCV and post-transplant hepatitis.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort.


METHODS
Serum samples from 128 patients who underwent liver transplantation. Sixty-six patients who had 6 months of follow-up and for whom both pretransplant and post-transplant serum samples were available were included in a study to asses the relation between anti-HCV and post-transplant hepatitis.


METHODS
Sera were tested for anti-HCV using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and, if positive, two confirmatory tests were done. Patients had a biopsy every week until two specimens showed no abnormal findings.


RESULTS
Only patients with chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis (15 of 30; 50%), alcoholic cirrhosis (7 of 19; 37%), and chronic hepatitis B infection (3 of 11; 27%) were anti-HCV positive. No patient with another form of chronic liver disease or with acute liver failure due to non-A, non-B hepatitis was anti-HCV positive. After transplantation, loss of anti-HCV was frequent and acquisition rare. Hepatitis developed in the graft in 17% of patients, but the incidence was similar among anti-HCV negative and anti-HCV-positive patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Hepatitis C virus is a common cause of chronic liver disease in patients requiring liver transplantation, but anti-HCV is rarely found in patients with acute liver failure. Previous HCV infection, based on detection of anti-HCV, is not an independent risk factor for post-transplant hepatitis.
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AE
University of California, San Francisco.
Donegan
E
E
Lake
J
J
Ferrell
L
L
Galbraith
C
C
Kuramoto
I K
IK
Zeldis
J B
JB
Ascher
N L
NL
Roberts
J
J
Wright
T L
TL
D015331:Cohort Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies