Hepatitis C kidneys may be suitable for transplantation

The kidneys of people with hepatitis C may be suitable for transplantation, said a new study published in the journal Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

For a long time, doctors were afraid to transplant organs from hepatitis-infected donors, fearing that this could harm recipients. But a study conducted from 2015 to 2019 showed that kidneys from donors with hepatitis C function normally in uninfected people and do not lead to their infection.

The results of this study will allow the use of more donor organs, and more patients can be saved using the organs of people with hepatitis, said Dr. Vishnu Potluri, a nephrologist at Perelman School of Medicine. It is known that 40% of kidneys received over the past two years from Americans with hepatitis C virus have been recycled.

Scientists plan to continue the study of the functions of transplanted kidneys and to understand what the reaction of the immune system of the recipient can be and what side effects may appear.

Hepatitis C is an infectious liver disease that develops as a result of infection with the hepatitis C virus. The disease kills 350,000 lives worldwide annually.