Hepatitis C virus and kidney transplantation

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice in patients with end-stage kidney disease. Hepatitis C virus infection in kidney transplant recipients is associated with numerous complications. Apart from hepatitis and consecutive cirrhosis, patients with HCV infections are more prone to develop severe infections, post-transplant diabetes mellitus, and recurrence of HCV-induced glomerulonephritis in transplanted kidneys. Patients after kidney transplantation with HCV infection are at higher risk of death. Previously used treatment based on interferon and ribavirin was poorly tolerated by this group and had low efficacy. Introducing direct-acting antivirals (DAA) was a breakthrough for patients with kidney disease, including kidney transplant recipients. DAA treatment rarely has side effects and prevents many complications associated with HCV infection.