The opioid epidemic has resulted in thousands of deaths in people infected with acute hepatitis C (HCV) due to IV drug use. Because many of these people are undiagnosed, especially in high-risk populations, many organs from HCV-positive donors are still being procured. The development of highly effective direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy has made it possible to successfully transplant HCV-positive organs into HCV-negative recipients and treat the hepatitis C post transplant.
Liver disease is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States and the third or fourth leading cause of death among patients 45 to 64. To improve these outcomes, many hepatologists on the medical staffs of Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth are undertaking a number of notable patient-centered research projects. All research projects are administered by Baylor Scott & White Research Institute.
For decades, transplant programs have performed liver transplants on patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis. Most of these patients have not used alcohol for many months, if not years. However, a small subset of patients—many of them younger and female—are presenting with acute alcoholic hepatitis. Historically, liver transplants have not been performed on these patients.
The opioid epidemic has caused the incidence of acute hepatitis C (HCV) in the United States to triple over the last several years. More than 5 million people in the nation carry the virus. Because many of these people are undiagnosed, especially in high-risk populations, many organs from HCV-positive donors are still being procured.
