Survival after liver transplantation for hepatitis C is unchanged over two decades in Canada

Clinical Course and Outcome of Liver Transplantation in Patients with Hepatitis C in Iran

Background: Hepatitis C is one of the most common causes of end-stage liver disease and liver transplant worldwide. In recent years, with the rapid advances in the treatment of hepatitis C by direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs), the clinical course of the disease as well as liver transplantation have had significant improvement. Also, DAAs have completely replaced interferon-based regimens in the treatment and prevention of HCV recurrence after liver transplant. Objectives: This is the first study that aimed to investigate the clinical course of liver transplantation in patients with hepatitis C in Iran. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on patients with HCV liver transplantation within five years (2012 - 2017) with the age range of 18 to 65 years at Shiraz Organ Transplant Center. All demographic and clinical data were recorded. Pre-transplant viral load, disease recurrence, graft rejection, and mortality rate were the most important indices in this study. Results: Among 55 transplant patients, 49% had received hepatitis C treatment before liver transplantation and interferon-based regimens were more prevalent. Besides, HCV genotype 3, followed by genotype 1, was the most prevalent one. A liver biopsy was performed in patients with elevated liver enzyme levels. The numbers of patients with HCV recurrence at 2, 6, 12, and 24-month intervals were three, two, zero, and two patients, respectively. At these time intervals, eight, eight, one, and three cases of acute graft rejection were found, respectively. Eight patients died with a one-year survival rate of 85%. Sepsis and infectious complications were the most leading causes of death. Conclusions: This study is the first study of liver transplant patients with hepatitis C in Iran. In the five-year study period, rapid development was made in the treatment of HCV patients. It led to the introduction of DAAs, which replaced interferon-based therapies. The results of this study indicated the high success rate of liver transplantation in patients with hepatitis C in Iran. The results of this study could be used to compare the efficacy of DAAs in future research.

Recurrence of hepatitis C after liver transplantation

Recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection following liver transplantation is a major source of morbidity and mortality. The natural history of hepatitis C in the transplant setting is shortened. Overall, one third of HCV-infected recipients have developed allograft cirrhosis due to HCV recurrence by the 5^th-7^th year post-transplantation. The most significant variables which determine disease progression are the use of organs from old donors, the use of an inadequate immunosuppression (too low, inducing treatment rejection episodes, too potent or too rapidly changing), and the presence of comorbid conditions that also impact the quality of the graft (biliary complications, metabolic syndrome). The only factor consistently shown to modify the natural history of recurrent disease is antiviral therapy. A sustained viral response, achieved by one third of those treated with dual therapy, is associated with improved histology, reduced liver-related complications and increased survival. Variables associated with enhanced viral response with dual therapy include an adequate genetic background (IL28B C/C of both donor and recipient), good treatment adherence (full doses of ribavirin, treatment duration), lack of graft cirrhosis at baseline, and viral genotype non-1. Data with triple therapy are encouraging. Response rates of about 60% at end-of-therapy have been described. Drug-drug interactions with calcineurin inhibitors are present but easily manageable with strict trough levels monitoring. Side effects are frequent and severe, particularly anemia, infections and acute renal insufficiency. In the future new oral antivirals will likely prevent viral reinfection. In this review, we will cover the most significant but also controversial aspects regarding recurrent HCV infection, including the natural history, retransplantation, antiviral therapy, and outcome in HIV-HCV patients.

Infections in liver transplant recipients

Liver transplantation is a standard life-saving procedure for the treatment of many end-stage liver diseases. The success of this procedure may be limited by infectious complications. In this article, we review the contemporary state of infectious complications during the post-operative period, with particular emphasis on those that occur most commonly during the first 6 mo after liver transplantation. Bacteria, and less commonly Candida infections, remain the predominant pathogens during the immediate post-operative period, especially during the first month, and infections caused by drug-resistant strains are emerging. Infections caused by cytomegalovirus and Aspergillus sp. present clinically during the "opportunistic" period characterized by intense immunosuppression. As newer potent immunosuppressive therapies with the major aim of reducing allograft rejection are developed, one potential adverse effect is an increase in certain infections. Hence, it is essential for liver transplant centers to have an effective approach to prevention that is based on predicted infection risk, local antimicrobial resistance patterns, and surveillance. A better understanding of the common and most important infectious complications is anticipated to lead to improvements in quality of life and survival of liver transplant recipients.