Kidney transplant from HCV viremic donors to HCV‐negative recipients and risk for de novo donor specific antibodies and acute rejection. Issue 2 (11th January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Daloul, Reem; Sureshkumar, Kalathil; Schnelle, Kendra; Von Stein, Lauren; Logan, April; Pesavento, Todd
• Is Part Of: Clinical transplantation. Volume 37:Issue 2(2023)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2023-01-11
• Subjects: acute rejection -- donor specific antibody -- hepatitis C -- Kidney transplant -- rejection; Transplantation of organs, tissues, etc -- Periodicals; 617.95
• DOI: 10.1111/ctr.14895
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0902-0063

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Kidney transplantation from HCV‐viremic donors into uninfected recipients is associated with excellent short‐term outcomes. However, concerns regarding an increased risk for the development of de novo donor specific antibodies (DSA) and acute rejection have been raised in single center reports. Methods: A retrospective study of HCV‐negative kidney‐only transplant recipients between 2018 and 2020. Patients were grouped based on the donor HCV status into group 1; HCV‐viremic donors, and group 2; HCV‐negative donors. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), with weights derived from the propensity score, were used to estimate the effect of donors' HCV‐viremia on the recipients. The primary objective was to compare the 1‐year incidence of de novo DSA. Secondary outcomes included group comparison of the incidence of biopsy proven acute rejection (BPAR), 1‐year patient and allograft survival, and 1‐year renal allograft function. Results: A total of 71 patients were included in the HCV NAT+ group, and 440 in the HCV‐ negative group. One‐year incidence of de novo DSA was higher in the HCV NAT+ group in the IPTW weighted analysis (19% vs. 9%, p = .02). In the unweighted analysis, BPAR occurred in 7% of recipients in the HCV NAT+ group, compared to 3% in the control group ( p = .06). However, due to the low event rate in the in the IPTW weighted groups, a statistical significance test could not be performed. Average estimated GFR was higher in the HCV‐viremic group at 3 months (61 vs. 53 ml/min/1.73 m 2 p = .002), but comparable at 6 (59 vs. 56 ml/min/1.73 m 2, p = .31) and 12 months (60 vs. 55 ml/min/1.73 m 2, p = .07). Patient and allograft survival were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion: Kidney transplant from HCV‐viremic donors was associated with an increased risk for the development of post‐transplant de novo DSA in the first year after transplantation, but no difference in patient and graft survival.