Outcomes in Hepatitis C After Living Donor Liver Transplantation in Association With Interleukin 28 B
Outcomes in Hepatitis C After Living Donor Liver Transplantation in Association With Interleukin 28 B
Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplants in the USA. Given that there is a
 national organ shortage, living donor liver transplantation has became a viable option for
 patients with end stage liver disease who are not severely ill. Recently particular
 polymorphisms of IL-28B gene were reported to correlate with histological recurrence and
 antiviral treatment response after orthotopic liver transplantation for hepatitis C. Similar
 results have not been described yet in living donor liver transplant patients.

 There is data suggesting slightly inferior outcomes in living donor liver transplants when
 done for hepatitis C. The investigators postulate that such inferior outcomes may be related
 to IL28 polymorphism concordance (i.e., unfavorable recipient polymorphism patients receive
 similarly unfavorable polymorphism livers from their relatives).
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Patients who received a living donor liver transplant for chronic hepatitis C who are
 18 year or older

 -  Patients who donated part of their liver to patients suffering from chronic hepatitis
 C. Donors must be 18 years or older

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Patients who are not willing to sign the consent

 -  Inability to obtain liver specimen (recipients)

 -  Inability to obtain blood sample (donors)