[Recurrence of hepatitis caused by hepatitis c virus in patients receiving a liver transplant].
BACKGROUND
Liver disease due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an increasingly frequent indication for liver transplantation. We performed a clinical and virological study of 20 HCV-infected liver transplant recipients to correlate virological markers with histological recurrence of disease.


METHODS
In ninety-four patients who were given transplants for end-stage cirrhosis, IgG and IgM antibodies to HCV and IgM to HCV tested by ELISA; all samples were further examined in a four-antigen recombinant immunoblot assay (2-RIBA). HCV viremia was measured by the conventional nested PCR, HCV genotype was determined by PCR amplification using type-specific primers. We have analyzed de novo infection by HCV, HCV recurrence and the influence of genotype in these recurrence.


RESULTS
Nineteen of 20 antibody-positive patients (95%) had HCV RNA before transplantation. All 19 patients who were viremic before transplantation had persistent infection after LT. HCV genotype 1b was the predominant type before and after LT (75%). Ten of the 20 (50%) patients developed histological findings of chronic hepatitis (CH) in liver allografts. HCV recurrent liver disease after LT was not related with HCV genotype. Of 4 deaths after transplant in hepatitis C group, only one was related to recurrent disease. We have not found de novo hepatitis C.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate the general persistence of hepatitis C virus infection and the excellent short-term prognosis after liver transplantation. Chronic hepatitis by HCV in liver transplant was not related with HCV genotype.
Crespo
J
J
Servicio de Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Facultad de Medicina, Santander.
Casafont
F
F
Carte
B
B
Lozano
J L
JL
Fábrega
E
E
Sánchez-Antolín
G
G
Dueñas
C
C
Pons Romero
F
F
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies
Recidiva de la hepatitis por el virus de la hepatitis C en los pacientes receptores de trasplante hepático.