Hepatitis C virus infection in nephrology patients

J Nephropathol. 2013 Oct;2(4):217-33. doi: 10.12860/JNP.2013.36. Epub 2013 Jul 1.

Abstract

Context: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection leads to chronic liver disease, but also to extra-hepatic manifestations.

Evidence acquisitions: Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar, Pubmed (NLM), LISTA (EBSCO) and Web of Science have been searched.

Results: Herein, we provide an overview of renal diseases related to HCV and their therapies, as well as the treatment options available for HCV (+)/RNA (+) dialysis patients. We will not mention, however, HCV infection-related complications in the post-kidney transplantation setting.

Conclusions: Extra-hepatic manifestations of HCV infection include mixed cryoglobulinemia, lymphoproliferative disorders, and renal disease. HCV infection has been reported in association with distinct histological patterns of glomerulonephritis in native kidneys.

Keywords: Glomerulonephritis; Hepatitis C; Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis; Renal transplantation.

Publication types

  • Review