The Current Status of Renal Transplant Recipients with Hepatitis C: A Single Center Experience

Abstract

Renal transplantation (RTx) may result in the development of liver disorder/hepatic cancer or hepatitis C virus (HCV)- related membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, which may lead to graft loss, in renal failure patients with previously untreated HCV infection. Long-term survival is longer in HCV antibody-positive renal transplant recipients than in HCV antibody-negative/-positive dialysis patients, whereas renal graft survival and patient survival are lower in HCV antibody-positive renal transplant recipients than in HCV antibody-negative patients; thus, HCV treatment should be administered to HCV antibodypositive renal transplant recipients. Interferon/ribavirin (IFN/Rib) therapy is one of the current HCV treatments in Japan. In renal failure patients including those undergoing hemodialysis, Rib is contraindicated because of possible kidney function problems; IFN monotherapy is indicated for these patients. However, in clinical practice, IFN monotherapy is not performed adequately because of efficacy problems or adverse reactions to IFN, leading to the presence of many HCV carriers and patients with previous HCV infection among hemodialysis patients in the RTx waiting list. The sustained virological response in patients receiving IFN therapy after RTx is low. Many patients discontinue the therapy and some develop graft loss because of IFN-related acute rejection. Therefore, dialysis patients with HCV infection who are scheduled for RTx should first receive IFN therapy. In Japan, daclatasvir/ asunaprevir combination therapy was introduced as an IFN-free antiviral therapy in September 2015. However, its safety in dialysis patients has not been established, and these patients still require IFN therapy. We report the current state of renal transplant recipients with HCV at our hospital.