Post-liver transplant hepatitis C virus recurrence: an unresolved thorny problem.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis represents the leading cause of liver transplantation in developed, Western and Eastern countries. Unfortunately, liver transplantation does not cure recipient HCV infection: reinfection universally occurs and disease progression is faster after liver transplant. In this review we focus on what happens throughout the peri-transplant phase and in the first 6-12 mo after transplantation: during this crucial period a completely new balance between HCV, liver graft, the recipient's immune response and anti-rejection therapy is achieved that will deeply affect subsequent outcomes. Nearly all patients show an early graft reinfection, with HCV viremia reaching and exceeding pre-transplant levels; in this setting, histological assessment is essential to di

SUBMITTER: Grassi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4145752 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature