Effect of Cyclosporine A Versus Tacrolimus on Response to Antiviral Therapy After Hepatitis C Genotype -4 Recurrence Post Liver Transplantation

Inclusion criteria

group(I):participants received Peg IFN-α 2a and RBV therapy who fulfilled the following inclusion criteria:

• Age between 18 and 65 years ;
• elevated aminotransferase levels (ALT and AST)
• detectable HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
• liver biopsy results consistent with HCV recurrence using the Metavir scoring system (Metavir ≥A1F1)
• For group II and III:
• age between 18 and 75 years
• detectable HCV RNA by PCR

Exclusion criteria

group I

• if they were younger than 18 years or older than 65 years or had one of the following criteria
• alcoholic
• poorly controlled autoimmune disease
• significant cardiac disease
• suicidal ideation
• a history of suicide attempt
• major psychosis
• serum creatinine ˃3 mg/dl
• thyroid dysfunction
• combined kidney-liver transplantation
• were currently pregnant or planning pregnancy.

Group II and III:

• younger than 18 years or older than 75 years
• total bilirubin (T.Bil) >3 mg/dl
• serum albumin< 2.8 mg/dl
• international normalized ratio ≥1.7
• Platelet count < 5000/mm3
• HCC, except 4 weeks after intervention with no evidence of activity using computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging
• extra hepatic malignancy except after two years of disease free-interval
• uncontrolled diabetes evidenced by glycated haemoglobin >9%
• were pregnant .