The increasing demand of organ donors to supply the increasing number of patients on
kidney waiting list, has led most of the transplant centers to develop protocols that allow safe utilization
from donors with special clinical situation, which heretofore were regarded as contraindication.
Deceased donors with previous hepatitis may represent a safe resource to expand the donor pool. When
allocated to serology-matched recipients, kidney transplantation from donors with hepatitis may result
in excellent short term outcome. However, many concerns may arise in the long term outcome, and
studies must be addressed to the evaluation of the progression of liver disease and to the rate of
reactivation of liver disease in the recipients. An accurate selection of both donor and recipient is
mandatory to achieve a satisfactory long term outcome.
Keywords: Kidney Transplantation, Deceased Donor, Hepatitis C Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis B
Surface Antigen, Hepatitis B Core Antigen, Chronic Hepatitis, Interferon, Lamividine, Entecavir, Ribavirin.
