Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2013 Jan 14;19(2):158-60.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i2.158.

Recurrent hepatitis C virus after transplant and the importance of plasma cells on biopsy

Eric R Kallwitz  1
Affiliations
Comment

Recurrent hepatitis C virus after transplant and the importance of plasma cells on biopsy

Eric R Kallwitz. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading indication for liver transplantation in the United States. It recurs universally after transplant but the rate of fibrosis and the development of graft failure is variable. Different donor and recipient features have been demonstrated to impact fibrosis. Plasma cell hepatitis, a histologic finding, is one feature associated with poor graft and patient outcomes. The pathogenic mechanism resulting in plasma cell hepatitis is poorly understood, with evidence suggesting a role for both the HCV and the immune system.A recent publication described plasma cell hepatitis in a larger context of immune medicated graft dysfunction in transplant recipients receiving interferon based therapy. This manuscript will highlight the topic of plasma cell hepatitis and provide commentary on the lack of recognition, the data regarding pathophysiologic mechanisms and the potential management options.

Keywords: Biopsy; Hepatitis C virus; Plasma cells; Sustained virological response.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment on

References

    1. Berenguer M. Natural history of recurrent hepatitis C. Liver Transpl. 2002;8:S14–S18. - PubMed
    1. Levitsky J, Fiel MI, Norvell JP, Wang E, Watt KD, Curry MP, Tewani S, McCashland TM, Hoteit MA, Shaked A, et al. Risk for immune-mediated graft dysfunction in liver transplant recipients with recurrent HCV infection treated with pegylated interferon. Gastroenterology. 2012;142:1132–1139.e1. - PubMed
    1. Fiel MI, Agarwal K, Stanca C, Elhajj N, Kontorinis N, Thung SN, Schiano TD. Posttransplant plasma cell hepatitis (de novo autoimmune hepatitis) is a variant of rejection and may lead to a negative outcome in patients with hepatitis C virus. Liver Transpl. 2008;14:861–871. - PubMed
    1. Khettry U, Huang WY, Simpson MA, Pomfret EA, Pomposelli JJ, Lewis WD, Jenkins RL, Gordon FD. Patterns of recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation in a recent cohort of patients. Hum Pathol. 2007;38:443–452. - PubMed
    1. Tun HW, Krishna M, Menke DM. Hepatitis C-related posttransplant plasma cell proliferative disorder with hepatitis C virus in neoplastic plasma cells: a new posttransplant disease entity? Transplant Proc. 2004;36:2692–2696. - PubMed

MeSH terms