Kidney Transplantation in Hepatitis C Positive Patients

Overview

Before understanding how kidney transplantation affects patients with hepatitis C, it is important to understand what hepatitis C is, according to kidney specialists in Gurgaon, working at one of the best kidney transplant hospital in Delhi NCR.

Hepatitis C is a viral infection caused by a virus of the same name, which causes liver disease, inflammation, swelling and scarring of the liver, as well as liver cancer. Hepatitis C is passed from person to person through contact with infected blood.

Can Hepatitis C Positive Patients Get A Kidney Transplant?

The specialists at the best kidney hospital in Delhi NCR say that kidney transplant in hepatitis C positive patients is quite possible and has been done several times. But there are certain considerations that have to be made first. For example, the doctor will have to determine if the patient’s liver has been injured from their hepatitis C infection. Damage to the liver from hepatitis C can prevent the patient from getting a kidney transplant. If, on the other hand, the patient’s liver is healthy enough, they can get a kidney transplant. If not, they may need to get both a liver and kidney transplant.

In some cases, the doctor may recommend that the patient gets a kidney that comes from a person who already has hepatitis C. This will allow the patient to get a transplant sooner and shorten their waiting time on the transplant wait list. Treatment of the hepatitis C infection with antiviral drugs will follow the kidney transplant surgery in such a case.

What Affects a Hepatitis C Positive Patient’s Chances of Getting a Kidney Transplant?

Only a kidney specialist treating the patient can say that for certain. Commonly though, these are the things a specialist will look for:

• The amount of hepatitis C virus in the patient’s body, known as the ‘viral load’
• The health of the patient’s liver
• Cirrhosis/scarring of the liver, which can affect the patient’s chances of getting a kidney transplant
• Liver enzyme levels, which help find how healthy the patient’s liver is after having hepatitis C
• Stage of the patient’s liver disease (if any)

The hospital in Gurgaon is a super-specialty hospital excelling in various departments of medicine including kidney transplant and nephrology. If you’re looking for a kidney transplant for yourself, or your loved ones, this is one of the best places you can visit to pursue the same. The hospital has successfully performed 100+ kidney transplants in both Indian and International patient’s since its establishment.