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Yes, We Can Donate Organs Even If We Have Hep C.
This topic has come up from time to time, yet still the confusion exists.
As an important topic that could potentially save lives, I hought maybe the correct answer deserved it's own thread title as sometimes the correct answer gets buried within a thread that not everyone takes the time to read.
So again, anyone with Hepatitis C -- acute or chronic -- can be an organ donor. What we cannot do is to donate blood. An entirely different topic.
Here's an article that Mike Simon just posted in a current thread on same topic:
"...Some people think that having hepatitis means that they can't be an organ donor. This is a myth. People can still be an organ donor and have acute or even chronic hepatitis.
Organ donation is a tremendous act of kindness, and there is a great need for organ donors of all ages. In fact, there is no age limit. Even if your liver isn't in good enough shape for donation, perhaps other organs and tissues could be used by someone else.
Here are examples of organs, in addition to the liver, that can be used: heart, intestines, kidneys, lungs and pancreas. In addition, certain tissues can also be used: bones, corneas, sclerae, tendons and certain veins.
There are, however, diseases that will prevent organ donation. Examples of two relatively common diseases include being HIV positive and having actively spreading cancer."
From: http://hepatitis.about.com/od/questions/f/OrganDonor.htm
###
As an important topic that could potentially save lives, I hought maybe the correct answer deserved it's own thread title as sometimes the correct answer gets buried within a thread that not everyone takes the time to read.
So again, anyone with Hepatitis C -- acute or chronic -- can be an organ donor. What we cannot do is to donate blood. An entirely different topic.
Here's an article that Mike Simon just posted in a current thread on same topic:
"...Some people think that having hepatitis means that they can't be an organ donor. This is a myth. People can still be an organ donor and have acute or even chronic hepatitis.
Organ donation is a tremendous act of kindness, and there is a great need for organ donors of all ages. In fact, there is no age limit. Even if your liver isn't in good enough shape for donation, perhaps other organs and tissues could be used by someone else.
Here are examples of organs, in addition to the liver, that can be used: heart, intestines, kidneys, lungs and pancreas. In addition, certain tissues can also be used: bones, corneas, sclerae, tendons and certain veins.
There are, however, diseases that will prevent organ donation. Examples of two relatively common diseases include being HIV positive and having actively spreading cancer."
From: http://hepatitis.about.com/od/questions/f/OrganDonor.htm
###
From: http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AASLD/11601
[....The need for donor livers far exceeds the supply, and extended-criteria donor selection has offered a partial solution to the organ shortage, Dr. Northrup noted. Use of HCV-positive grafts for HCV-positive patients offers an example of marginal-donor expansion.
Cirrhosis secondary to HCV infection has accounted for as many as half of all liver transplants performed in the U.S., and more than four million people are currently infected, Dr. Northrup continued.The issue of transplanting organs from HCV-positive donors has particular relevance in that population of liver transplant patients, he said, but the long-term consequences and outcomes had not been carefully studied.
So Dr. Northrup and colleagues analyzed the United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network dataset to identify all adult liver transplantations from January 1994 to February 2008 involving HCV-positive donors.
Patient and graft survival were assessed separately, accounting for donor and recipient HCV status.
Of 70,071 liver transplantations evaluated, 23,972 involved HCV-positive recipients, and 1,313 transplant procedures involved HCV-positive donors.
Three-fourths of HCV-positive donor organs went to HCV-positive recipients, and the remaining organs were given to HCV-negative patients in rare and extreme circumstances, said Dr. Northrup.
Transplants involving HCV-negative donors and recipients were associated with the best survival, an average of 11.7 years.
From that subgroup, mean survival decreased to 10.0 years for HCV-positive patients and HCV-negative donors; 8.28 years for HCV-positive donors and HCV-positive recipients; and 6.33 years for HCV-negative patients who received organs from HCV-positive donors.
HCV-negative patients who received livers from HCV-positive donors had the worst Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and more severe illness.
The researchers developed a survival model that adjusted for multiple variables known to affect survival after transplantation.
Using survival associated with transplants involving HCV-negative patients and donors as the reference, the investigators found that all other combinations increased the mortality hazard ratio by about 20%.
The mortality difference achieved statistical significance for the combination of HCV-positive recipients and HCV-negative donors (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.25, P<0.0001), and HCV-positive recipients and HCV-positive donors (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.40, P=0.002).
"After adjusting for known mortality risk factors in an HCV-positive recipient using multivariable proportional hazards survival models, we found that a potential recipient with HCV cirrhosis is not subjected to excess mortality if an HCV-positive liver allograft is used," Dr. Northrup said.]
Mike
[....The need for donor livers far exceeds the supply, and extended-criteria donor selection has offered a partial solution to the organ shortage, Dr. Northrup noted. Use of HCV-positive grafts for HCV-positive patients offers an example of marginal-donor expansion.
Cirrhosis secondary to HCV infection has accounted for as many as half of all liver transplants performed in the U.S., and more than four million people are currently infected, Dr. Northrup continued.The issue of transplanting organs from HCV-positive donors has particular relevance in that population of liver transplant patients, he said, but the long-term consequences and outcomes had not been carefully studied.
So Dr. Northrup and colleagues analyzed the United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network dataset to identify all adult liver transplantations from January 1994 to February 2008 involving HCV-positive donors.
Patient and graft survival were assessed separately, accounting for donor and recipient HCV status.
Of 70,071 liver transplantations evaluated, 23,972 involved HCV-positive recipients, and 1,313 transplant procedures involved HCV-positive donors.
Three-fourths of HCV-positive donor organs went to HCV-positive recipients, and the remaining organs were given to HCV-negative patients in rare and extreme circumstances, said Dr. Northrup.
Transplants involving HCV-negative donors and recipients were associated with the best survival, an average of 11.7 years.
From that subgroup, mean survival decreased to 10.0 years for HCV-positive patients and HCV-negative donors; 8.28 years for HCV-positive donors and HCV-positive recipients; and 6.33 years for HCV-negative patients who received organs from HCV-positive donors.
HCV-negative patients who received livers from HCV-positive donors had the worst Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and more severe illness.
The researchers developed a survival model that adjusted for multiple variables known to affect survival after transplantation.
Using survival associated with transplants involving HCV-negative patients and donors as the reference, the investigators found that all other combinations increased the mortality hazard ratio by about 20%.
The mortality difference achieved statistical significance for the combination of HCV-positive recipients and HCV-negative donors (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.25, P<0.0001), and HCV-positive recipients and HCV-positive donors (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.40, P=0.002).
"After adjusting for known mortality risk factors in an HCV-positive recipient using multivariable proportional hazards survival models, we found that a potential recipient with HCV cirrhosis is not subjected to excess mortality if an HCV-positive liver allograft is used," Dr. Northrup said.]
Mike
Much appreciate seeing this topic here and the myths cleared up. We can indeed donate, and our livers can be used to help others. Advanced directives is a great way to make sure your wishes are carried out, and it most certainly takes the burden off family members in the event the person is unable to speak for themselves and decisions have to be made. If you do decide to do advanced directives now (which is a great idea for anyone who doesn't have a will yet or even if they do have one) make sure you get a copy to all of your physicians (GP, hep docs, any other specialists), take a copy to the hospital, give a copy to your loved one, and another good place to keep one is in your vehicle.
So glad I didn't miss this thread. I will definitely change my directives. And I feel better knowing this.
Take a look at this info on HCV liver grafts:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/461071
Discussion - Our study is the first matched analysis of recipients of HCV-positive and -negative grafts, and includes the largest single institution experience with HCV-positive grafts. Both matched and unmatched analyses confirmed previous observations that the use of HCV-positive grafts does not appear to adversely affect patient and graft survival. Similar to other observations, there was a trend to greater patient survival in recipients of HCV-positive grafts than HCV-negative grafts 1 year post-OLT.[7,10] However, this survival advantage was gone by 5 years. Overall, recipients of a HCV-positive graft had similar patient and graft survival to patients who did not receive a HCV-positive graft. The 5-year patient survival was 64% for recipients of HCV-infected grafts compared with 60% of recipients of HCV-negative grafts. Similarly, the 5-year graft survival was 58% for recipients of HCV-positive grafts compared with 55% in patients who did not receive a HCV-negative graft.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/461071
Discussion - Our study is the first matched analysis of recipients of HCV-positive and -negative grafts, and includes the largest single institution experience with HCV-positive grafts. Both matched and unmatched analyses confirmed previous observations that the use of HCV-positive grafts does not appear to adversely affect patient and graft survival. Similar to other observations, there was a trend to greater patient survival in recipients of HCV-positive grafts than HCV-negative grafts 1 year post-OLT.[7,10] However, this survival advantage was gone by 5 years. Overall, recipients of a HCV-positive graft had similar patient and graft survival to patients who did not receive a HCV-positive graft. The 5-year patient survival was 64% for recipients of HCV-infected grafts compared with 60% of recipients of HCV-negative grafts. Similarly, the 5-year graft survival was 58% for recipients of HCV-positive grafts compared with 55% in patients who did not receive a HCV-negative graft.
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