Factors associated with sustained virological response in liver transplant recipients with recurrent hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND: Antiviral therapy has achieved sustained virological response (SVR) in less than one third of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) patients with recurrent hepatitis C.

AIM: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of SVR in OLT patients treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PEG+RBV) for recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV).

METHODS: We analyzed data from our transplantation database for 62 subjects treated with PEG+RBV between August 2001 and September 2008. After univariate examination for factors known to be associated with SVR, significant associations (P < .05) were probed using multivariate logistic regression. Kaplan-Meier patient and graft survival analyses were compared between patients with (n = 19; 30.6%) versus without SVR.

RESULTS: On univariate analysis, longer duration of therapy, low pretreatment HCV RNA (<1 million IU/mL), and early virological response (EVR) were associated with SVR. On multivariate analysis, only low pretreatment HCV RNA predicted SVR. Patient survival was significantly higher in the SVR group.

CONCLUSIONS: Covariates associated with SVR among OLT patients with recurrent HCV were similar to the pretransplantation group. Potentially modifiable risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome, were not significant predictors of treatment response. Patient survival was associated with SVR, highlighting the impact of successful HCV therapy on long-term post-OLT outcomes.