HEPC Studies and Kidney Transplants

[TaffyTwoshoes27]

I am wondering if anyone else has personal experience (family member, friend, etc.) that has participated in a study of transplanting kidney(s) from HEPC+ corpses?

I attended a conference sponsored by the Georgia Transplant Foundation and one Nephrologist that spoke (she works for the hospital where I am listed for Transplant -- Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA) and she said Piedmont is having 100% success rate in transplanting kidneys from corpses that were HepC positive. She said transplanted patient will (within a few weeks) contract HepC, but with medications and physician care, the HepC has been cured.

I am seriously considering allowing myself to join the study. I do have some additional information to digest from the Study Coordinator regarding medication, side effects, etc., but the Piedmont Nephrologist said that in Georgia, the wait time for an O-type blood matching kidney is eight (8) years! I have been on dialysis only 3 years now and I will be 68 years old in 5 years.

I will appreciate hearing from someone who has information or experience in this field. From a cursory search, I know that Johns-Hopkins and other transplant hospitals are working with this same HepC study.

Thank you for your input.

Marcia

[KelliC_NKF]

Here is some additional information on Hep C that might be helpful: kidney.org/atoz/content/hep...

Also here's an article from Johns Hopkins: hopkinsmedicine.org/news/ne...

[TaffyTwoshoes27 in reply to KelliC_NKF]

Thank you Kelli. The Johns-Hopkins article is very encouraging!