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Natural History of Patients with Recurrent Chronic Hepatitis C Virus and Occult Hepatitis B Co‐Infection after Liver Transplantation
Author(s) -
Hui C.K.,
Lau E.,
Monto A.,
Kim M.,
Luk J. M.,
Poon R. T. P.,
Leung N.,
Lo C.M.,
Fan S.T.,
Lau G. K. K.,
Wright T. L.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
american journal of transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.89
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1600-6143
pISSN - 1600-6135
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2006.01370.x
Subject(s) - medicine , occult , liver transplantation , hepatitis b virus , hepatitis c virus , liver biopsy , gastroenterology , transplantation , hepatitis b , hepatitis , fibrosis , virus , biopsy , immunology , pathology , alternative medicine
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.