Premium
Hepatitis B and C in the liver transplant recipient: Current understanding and treatment
Author(s) -
Rosen Hugo R.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
liver transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.814
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1527-6473
pISSN - 1527-6465
DOI - 10.1053/jlts.2001.28519
Subject(s) - medicine , lamivudine , cirrhosis , liver transplantation , decompensation , natural history , hepatitis c virus , hepatitis c , gastroenterology , liver disease , hepatitis b , viral hepatitis , hepatitis , hepatitis b virus , immunology , transplantation , virus
Key Points 1 Liver disease related to chronic viral hepatitis is the leading indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) worldwide. 2 The natural history of hepatitis B virus infection has been dramatically modified, and outcome has improved substantially in the last decade with the use of hepatitis B immunoglobulin and lamivudine. 3 Hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence, defined by histological injury, is almost universal, and a subset of patients (20% to 30%) develops allograft cirrhosis by the fifth year post‐OLT. 4 Unfortunately, antiviral therapy for hepatitis C post‐OLT, even when initiated preemptively before the development of histological recurrence in the first few weeks post‐OLT, has failed to alter the natural history of HCV disease recurrence. 5 HCV‐related allograft cirrhosis is associated with a high rate of decompensation and mortality.