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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 28, 2014; 20(32): 11095-11115
Published online Aug 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i32.11095
Published online Aug 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i32.11095
Post-liver transplant hepatitis C virus recurrence: An unresolved thorny problem
Alberto Grassi, Giorgio Ballardini, Internal Medicine and Hepatology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, “Infermi” Hospital, 47923 Rimini, Italy
Author contributions: Grassi A performed the literature review, analyzed and interpreted the data, drafted the manuscript, and approved the final version; Ballardini G critically reviewed the manuscript, assisted with the design of the paper, made corrections and revisions, and approved the final version.
Correspondence to: Alberto Grassi, MD, PhD, Internal Medicine and Hepatology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, “Infermi” Hospital, Viale Settembrini 2, 47923 Rimini, Italy. albgrassi@yahoo.com
Telephone: +39-541-705699 Fax: +39-541-705342
Received: December 27, 2013
Revised: February 15, 2014
Accepted: May 29, 2014
Published online: August 28, 2014
Revised: February 15, 2014
Accepted: May 29, 2014
Published online: August 28, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) graft reinfection universally occurs post-liver transplantation and disease progression is accelerated. Differentiating recurrent hepatitis from rejection is essential in this setting; however, differentiation of the two pathological patterns remains difficult. The host immune response appears to be crucial both in the control of HCV infection and in the genesis of rejection: complete prevention of rejection and optimization of immunosuppression should represent the main goals. A proper graft allocation seems to be crucial to realize an ideal donor-to-recipient matching; however, many factors remain obscure.