Advanced donor age increases the risk of severe recurrent hepatitis C after live

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Transplant International

Volume 18 Issue 8 Page 902 - August 2005

doi:10.1111/j.1432-2277.2005.00114.x

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Advanced donor age increases the risk of severe recurrent hepatitis

C after liver transplantation

Alonso1, Carmelo Loinaz1, Enrique Moreno1, Jiménez1,

Abradelo1, Ramón Gómez1, - Meneu1,

Lumbreras2 and Ignacio García1

Summary

The association between donor age and the severity of recurrent

hepatitis C and, whether there is any donor age above which severity

of recurrence increases significantly, were analyzed. A total of 131

liver grafts of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected recipients were

selected for the study. Distribution of donor age was compared

between grafts with and without severe recurrence. The risk of

developing severe recurrence as well as the hepatitis-free, severe

hepatitis-free and HCV-related graft survival was compared between

different donor age groups. Mean donor age was higher for grafts

with severe recurrence (P = 0.007). The risk of developing severe

recurrence within 2 years post-transplant increased with donors aged

50 years (RR = 1.34) and donors aged 70 years (RR = 1.61). Five-year

severe hepatitis-free survival rates decreased progressively when

donor age was over 50 years (P < 0.001). The study shows 50 and 70

years as the donor age cut-off points above which the evolution of

HCV-infected recipients worsens.