title: The impact of Hepatitis C virus infection on kidney transplantation outcomes: A systematic review of 18 observational studies: The impact of HCV on renal transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection occursin 0% to 51% of dialysis patients, and manyHCV-positive patients are urged to undergo kidney transplantation. However, the outcome of renal transplantation in HCV-positive recipients is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our review aimed to address the outcomesof renal transplantation recipients (RTRs)following kidney transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We selected studies that used the adjusted relative risk (aRR) and 95% CI of all-cause mortality and graft loss in HCV-positive compared with HCV-negative RTRs as study endpoints. Cox proportional hazard analysis was usedin all studies to calculate the independent effects of HCV infection on RTR outcomes. Sixteen retrospective cohort studies and 2 clinical trials were selected for our review. Sixteen studies were related to patient survival, and 12 examined graft survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The combined hazard ratio in HCV-infected recipients was 1.69-fold (1.33-1.97, p < 0.0001) and 1.56 times (1.22-2.004, p < 0.0001) greaterthan that of HCV-negative recipients for mortality and graft loss, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although HCV-infected RTRs have worseoutcomes than HCV-negative RTRs,kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for patients with HCV infection and end-stage renal disease.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology and Urology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Zohreh
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rostami
authors.forename: Mohammad Hossien
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Nourbala
authors.forename: Seyed Moayed
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Alavian
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bieraghdar
authors.forename: Yunes
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jahani
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Einollahi
references.citation: Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Nov 15;24(10):1413-22
references.pmid: 17081162
references.citation: Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1999 Oct;14(10):2455-60
references.pmid: 10528672
references.citation: Transpl Int. 2009 Dec;22(12):1117-31
references.pmid: 19656350
references.citation: Transplant Proc. 2007 Jun;39(5):1424-8
references.pmid: 17580153
references.citation: Transplant Proc. 2007 May;39(4):984-6
references.pmid: 17524869
references.citation: Am J Nephrol. 2001 Jul-Aug;21(4):300-6
references.pmid: 11509802
references.citation: Transplant Proc. 2007 Dec;39(10):3127-30
references.pmid: 18089337
references.citation: Clin Transplant. 2009 Sep-Oct;23(5):723-31
references.pmid: 19573091
references.citation: Am J Transplant. 2001 Jul;1(2):179-84
references.pmid: 12099367
references.citation: Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2005 Oct 15;22(8):657-66
references.pmid: 16197487
references.citation: Ren Fail. 2008;30(1):81-7
references.pmid: 18197548
references.citation: Transplantation. 2004 Sep 15;78(5):745-50
references.pmid: 15371680
references.citation: Clin Transplant. 2004 Jun;18(3):261-6
references.pmid: 15142046
references.citation: Transplantation. 2005 May 15;79(9):1132-6
references.pmid: 15880056
references.citation: Am J Kidney Dis. 2004 Jan;43(1):131-9
references.pmid: 14712436
references.citation: Transplantation. 1995 Oct 27;60(8):799-805
references.pmid: 7482738
references.citation: Transplant Proc. 2009 Jun;41(5):1583-5
references.pmid: 19545684
references.citation: Transplant Proc. 2008 Nov;40(9):2933-5
references.pmid: 19010152
references.citation: Transplantation. 2009 Sep 27;88(6):803-9
references.pmid: 19920780
references.citation: Transplantation. 2008 Jun 15;85(11):1601-6
references.pmid: 18551066
references.citation: Transplant Proc. 2009 Jul-Aug;41(6):2085-8
references.pmid: 19715838
references.citation: Nephron Clin Pract. 2006;102(2):c72-80
references.pmid: 16244496
references.citation: Clin Transplant. 2002 Apr;16(2):130-6
references.pmid: 11966783
references.citation: Transplant Proc. 2004 Apr;36(3):760-2
references.pmid: 15110654
references.citation: Kidney Int. 1998 May;53(5):1374-81
references.pmid: 9573555
references.citation: J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2003 Jul;18(7):836-40
references.pmid: 12795757
references.citation: Clin Nephrol. 2009 Oct;72(4):326-7
references.pmid: 19825342
references.citation: Iran J Kidney Dis. 2010 Jan;4(1):1-8
references.pmid: 20081297
references.citation: Transplantation. 1998 Mar 15;65(5):667-70
references.pmid: 9521201