Phenotypic expression of recurrent disease after liver transplantation: Minireview

Abstract

Recurrence of the primary disease has become a major focus for transplant hepatologists both when investigating graft dysfunction and when tailoring immunosuppression to maximize graft survival. However, disease recurrence varies in penetrance, can be predictable or random, and does not always conform to the expected pattern of disease. The cholestatic hepatitis syndromes associated with hepatitis B and C are the most dramatic examples of phenotypic change. Being on immunosuppressive drugs may intensify the progression of infectious and malignant diseases, but this effect is not predictable. A significant minority of patients with each of the autoimmune diseases, counter-intuitively, get recurrent disease despite immunosuppression of a potency that is adequate to prevent rejection of the liver graft. Disease patterns emerge after liver transplantation for cryptogenic cirrhosis that shed light on the cause of the native liver disease, for example, nonalcohol-related fatty liver disease and autoimmune hepatitis. The phenotypic expression of disease recurrence can be modified by specific drugs used for immunosuppression and by HLA-antigen matching profiles. Understanding and modifying the phenotypic expression of recurrent disease after liver transplantation is a fertile area for research and continued refinement of clinical care. © 2010 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.