Serum Fibrosis Markers Identify Patients With Mild and Progressive Hepatitis C Recurrence After Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Significant fibrosis (fibrosis stage [F] >= 2) and portal hypertension (hepatic venous pressure gradient [HVPG] >= 6 mm Hg) in patients 1 year after liver transplantation indicate progressive hepatitis C recurrence. This Study evaluated whether serum fibrosis markers can predict hepatitis C recurrence during the first year after liver transplantation. METHODS: Hyaluronic acid, amino-terminal propeptide of type-III-procollagen, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase type-1 concentrations were measured in serum samples From 133 patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) at 3, 6, and 12 months after liver transplantation; routine laboratory tests were also performed. Liver biopsy samples (n = 133) and HVPGs (n = 94) were analyzed 1 year after transplantation. Sixteen patients who were not infected with HCV served as controls. RESULTS: An algorithm, including the 3 markers (3-M-ALG) and 3 published scores (aspartate aminotransferase [AST]-to-alanine aminotransferase ratio, AST-to-platelet ratio index, and Benlloch) were analyzed. One year after liver transplantation, 50 patients (38%) had significant fibrosis (F >= 2) and 31 (32%) had an HVPG >= 6 mm Hg. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of the 3-M-ALG used to identify, F >= 2 at 3, 6, and 12 months after transplantation (0.67, 0.77, and 0.78) and of those with HVPG >= 6 at the same time points (0.75, 0.87, and 0.90) were significantly higher than values obtained with the 3 published scores. At 12 months, a 3-M-ALG >= 2 identified most patients at risk of decompensation/death. CONCLUSIONS: Serum markers can accurately discriminate between patients with mild and progressive hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation.