Hepatitis C in liver transplant patients

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) presents multiple challenges related to liver transplantation; it is the most common indication for liver transplantation in the United States but is universally recurrent in patients who are viremic at the time of transplantation. When HCV recurs in the transplanted liver, histologic injury may be severe, and progression toward advanced fibrosis with decompensation is more rapid when compared with the natural history of HCV before transplantation. This review summarizes new information related to the treatment, recognition, and management of HCV in patients who undergo liver transplantation.