Title | Liver Transplant in Young Adults with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus: An Argument for Hepatitis C Treatment in Childhood. | ||
Author | Mohamad, Bashar; Hanouneh, Ibrahim A; Zein, Nizar N; Lopez, Rocio; Matloob, Ammar; Alkhouri, Naim | ||
Journal | Exp Clin Transplant | Publication Year/Month | 2016-Apr |
PMID | 26476199 | PMCID | -N/A- |
Affiliation | 1.From the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA. |
OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the characteristics of hepatitis C virus-positive young adults who received a liver transplant and to evaluate posttransplant outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: United Network for Organ Sharing database was conducted from 1989 to 2012, and retrospective analysis was performed on all hepatitis C virus-positive young adult patients (aged, 8-35 y) who underwent a liver transplant in the United States. RESULTS: A total of 506 hepatitis C virus subjects were included. Average age at time of transplant was 30.1 +/- 4.8 years. Median follow-up after first liver transplant was 46.1 months (13, 89.3 mo). During this time, 217 patients (42.8%) died at a mean age at the time of death of 34 +/- 6.7 years including 176/ 506 (34.8%) after the first liver transplant, 34/71 (48.6%) after the second liver transplant, and 7/8 (87.5%) after the third liver transplant. The majority (65.7%) of retransplants were performed for hepatitis C virus recurrence. A mean of 1.15 liver transplants were performed per patient. Overall, 262 subjects were transplanted in the pre-Model for End-stage Liver Disease era, and 244 were transplanted post-MELD. Younger age, higher bilirubin, higher creatinine, hepatitis C carcinoma, shorter wait time, shorter cold ischemia time, nonwhite donor race, and the use of mycophenolate mofetil were significantly more common in the post-Model for End-stage Liver Disease era (all with P < .05). Importantly, 5-year patient and graft survival were not different between the pre- and post-Model for End-stage Liver Disease era. CONCLUSIONS: Liver transplant in young adults for hepatitis C virus acquired during childhood has poor outcomes that did not improve in the post-Model for End-stage Liver Disease era. These findings should prompt more aggressive evaluation and treatment for hepatitis C virus in children.