Hep.C and Renal Transplant

  I am a 26 years youth and have underogne a renal transplant about ona and half years ago.
  At the time of transplant, I was diagnosed as being HCV positive.
  Still, transplant was not stopped. After transplant, my Liver Function Tests showed higher
  values of SGPT and SGOT.I was given a course of Ribavirin for 6 months and now, my Liver Function tests
  have gone to normal values.
  Does it mean that the effect of Hep.C virus is gone. Or, is it in a dormant state for it to recur in future?
  I am thinking of getting married.Is it safe for a Hep.C positive person to marry?Is the partner in any danger of being exposed to the virus?

[HFHSM.D.-D.M.]

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Dear Trinath:
I find your situation very interesting and your questions are excellent.  Let me answer them as best I can.  I understand that you were diagnosed with hepatitis C prior to a kidney transplant and that you were treated with ribavirin alone with improvement in your liver enzymes.
Now a days, in addition to measuring the liver enzymes in someone with hepatitis C, we also measure the level of the virus in their blood (hepatitis C  RNA by PCR).  I wonder if that has been done in your case.  That would tell us specifically, if the virus is still present.  I can tell you that when ribavirin is used alone (without interferon), it often improves the liver enzymes but almost never eliminates the virus.  Usually, when the ribavirin is stopped, the liver enzymes go back to where they were.
It absolutely is safe for you to get married.  Hepatitis C is usually not passed from one individual to another by sex provided they are both in long-term monogamous relationships.  If you and your future husband only have sex with each other, the risk of your giving the virus to him is about 2 to 4% over 30 to 40 years.  Some couples in this situation practice