Excess body weight, liver steatosis, and early fibrosis progression due to hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation

Table 1 Clinical and demographic characteristics of the studied population

Recipient male gender, n (%)	63 (70.0)
Donor male gender, n (%)	53 (58.9)
Recipient age at transplantation (yr), median (range)	53 (23–66)
Donor age (yr), median (range)	41 (17–77)
Etiology of liver disease, n (%)	55 (61.1)
HCV infection	12 (13.3)
HBV infection	13 (14.5)
Alcohol abuse	10 (11.1)
Other, unknown
Child–Pugh score pre-transplantation, median (range)	8 (5–14)
Immunosuppressive regimen, n (%)	69 (76.7)
Tacrolimus-based	21 (23.3)
Cyclosporine-based	32 (58.2)
Antiviral therapy in HCV positive, n (%)

Categorical variables are expressed as frequencies (%); continuous variables as median (range). HCV: hepatitis C virus.

Table 2 Frequencies of patients with a SFP≤0.100 FU/mo in the 1^st year post-OLT, in relationship with a selection of demographic and clinical variables

	All patients(n=90)FU/mo≤0.100n=70	HCV-positive patients(n=55)FU/mo≤0.100n=39	HCV-negative patients(n=35)FU/mo≤0.100n=31
Recipient male gender (n=63)	53a	29	24
Donor male gender (n=53)	40	19	21
Recipient age ≤55 yr (n=54)	42	19	23
Donor age ≤45 yr (n=54)	47c	29e	18
Pre-OLT BMI >26.0 kg/m2 (n=35)	32b	16d	16
Tacrolimus therapy (n=69)	56	31	25
Corticosteroid tapering >90 d (n=47)	39	25	14
Diabetes mellitus (n=24)	17	10	7

FU/mo: fibrosis units per month, HCV: hepatitis C virus, BMI: body mass index,

^aP<0.05 vs recipient female gender,

^bP<0.02 vs pre-OLT BMI ≤26 kg/m²,

^cP<0.01 vs donor age >45 yr;

^dP<0.05 vs pre-OLT BMI ≤26 kg/m² (comparison of cross-product ratios between HCV positive and negative patients: P<0.05),

^eP<0.001

Table 3 Degree of hepatic steatosis in 105 biopsies performed between 12 and 36 mo after the transplant operation (HCV-positive recipients only), in relationship with a selection of variables

	Steatosis
	Absent(n=34)	≤10%(n=60)	>10%(n=11)	P
Ishak staging score ≤2 (n=79)	19	49	11	<0.005
Recipient male gender (n=72)	20	42	10	<0.05
Recipient age≤55 yr (n=50)	15	28	7	NS
Donor age ≤45 yr (n=65)	19	39	7	NS
BMI increase <1.5 kg/m2 (n=76)	29	41	6	<0.05
Recurrent hepatitis C ≤1 yr post-OLT (n=79)	31	41	7	<0.02
Diabetes mellitus (n=31)	10	18	3	NS

BMI: body mass index, OLT: orthotopic liver transplantation, BMI increase: difference between BMI value 1 yr post-OLT and BMI value pre-OLT. P value refers to c² for linear trend.