Long-Term Follow-up of Liver Transplant Recipients Treated With Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents for Hepatitis C Recurrence After Transplantation

Background. Treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence after liver transplantation (LTX) with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA) is effective and leads to sustained viral response (SVR) in most cases. Long-term effect of HCV elimination on LTX function is not clear. The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term influence of DAA with HCV on the liver function in LTX recipients. Methods. The study included 120 LTX patients with HCV recurrence. Before starting DAA therapy, all patients underwent liver biopsy and elastography. Biochemical tests and HCV viremia were assessed at baseline, 4, 12, and 24 weeks and 24 months after the end of treatment (EOT). The study protocol conformed with the Declaration of Helsinki. Results. In the HCV genotype 1 (G1) group, 106 patients were treated with ledipasvir/ sofosbuvir with ribavirin (RBV), and 3 patients received paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir/dasabuvir/RBV. All HCV genotype 3 (G3) patients were treated with sofosbuvir/RBV; all HCV genotype 4 (G4) patients were treated with paritaprevir/ombitasvir/RBV. The efficacy of the treatment defined as SVR at week 12 after EOT (SVR12) was 97.3% in G1 group, 75% in G3, and 100% in G4 group. Median alanine (ALT) and aspartate (AST) transaminase before therapy were 44.0 IU/mL and 42.5 IU/mL, respectively. Median ALT and AST at 24 months after EOT were 17 IU/mL and 22 IU/mL, respectively. The lack of transaminases normalization was observed in 10 patients 24 months after EOT. Conclusion. The efficacy of DAA therapy of HCV recurrence after LTX is as high as that reported in randomized clinical trials. It is also associated with the improvement of liver function tests during long-term follow-up.