title: Natural history of patients with recurrent chronic hepatitis C virus and occult hepatitis B co-infection after liver transplantation.
abstract: It is uncertain whether occult hepatitis B virus co-infection will hasten progressive liver disease in chronic hepatitis C patients after liver transplantation. This study evaluated fibrosis progression and severe fibrosis in 118 consecutive hepatitis B surface antigen-negative patients with virological and histological evidence of recurrent chronic hepatitis C infection co-infected with occult hepatitis B virus after liver transplantation. HBV DNA was detected from serum at the time of recurrent chronic hepatitis C infection by polymerase chain reaction. Each subject underwent a repeat liver biopsy 5 years post-liver transplantation. Occult hepatitis B virus co-infection was present in 41 of the 118 (34.7%) patients. At 5 years post-liver transplantation, 13 of the 41 occult hepatitis B virus co-infected patients compared with 16 of the 77 patients without occult hepatitis B virus co-infection developed fibrosis progression (31.7% vs. 20.8%, respectively, p = 0.39). Eight of 41 the occult hepatitis B virus co-infected patients compared with 13 of the 77 patients without occult hepatitis B virus co-infection had severe fibrosis (19.5% vs. 16.9%, respectively, p = 0.97). In conclusion, occult hepatitis B virus co-infection in patients with recurrent chronic hepatitis C infection was not associated with accelerated fibrosis progression or severe fibrosis after liver transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. ckhui23@gmail.com
authors.forename: C-K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Luk
authors.forename: R T P
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: C-M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: S-T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: G K K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000502:physiology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000502:physiology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral