Five Cases of Renal Transplantation in Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Positive Patients / 대한이식학회지

ABSTRACT

Chronic hepatitis is one of the leading cause of hospitalization and death in kidney transplanted patient. Korea is one of the endemic area of chronic hepatitis B. The impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on the clinical course of renal transplant recipient has been controversial. We describe five Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive renal transplant recipients who transplanted at the KyungHee University Medical Center during the period of January 1992 to July 2000. All these patients have no clinical sign or symptom of chronic hepatitis at the time of transplantation. Mean follow up period was 70 month (range 7-57). Three of 5 patients developed liver cirrhosis with complications during follow-up period. One patient died of fulminant hepatitis due to reactivation of HBV. The remaining one patient is free of disease till now. Four of 5 patients maintained the function of transplanted kidney and only one patient restarted hemodialysis.