Organ Transplantation Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Organ Transplantation, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery.

Clinical course of hepatitis B virus infection in renal allograft recipients.

Savas N, Colak T, Selcuk H, Yilmaz U, Haberal M

Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey. nakyurek2000@yahoo.com

The outcome of renal transplantation is adversely affected by hepatitis B virus infection. We retrospectively analyzed data of 1,251 renal transplant recipients, 20 of whom were hepatitis B surface antigen positive and hepatitis B virus DNA negative at the time of renal transplantation. Hepatitis B virus reactivation was seen in 14 of the 20 patients at a mean time of 16.3+/-7.1 months after transplantation. All patients with hepatitis B virus reactivation after transplantation were treated with lamivudine, biochemical, and serologic response was achieved in 13 of 14 patients at a mean time of 7.0+/-1.1 months. Seven of 13 patients experienced a breakthrough at a mean time of 9.2+/-6.2 months. Three of the 20 patients died at a mean time of 57.0+/-38.5 months after transplantation. Our data demonstrated that chronic immunosuppression is associated with a significantly high risk of hepatitis B virus reactivation in renal transplant recipients and hepatitis B reactivation does not increase the likelihood of graft rejection or patient mortality after renal transplantation.

Published 8 November 2007 in Dig Dis Sci, 52(12): 3440-3.
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