Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a rare, fatal complication following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). To date, several risk factors have been proposed, but reports on these factors have been inconclusive. This is a retrospective, case-control study of prospectively collected data from 2775 OLTs performed at our institution. Eight cases of GVHD after OLT were diagnosed on the basis of the patient's clinical characteristics, and the findings were confirmed with skin and colonic biopsies. Each case was matched to three controls based on the diagnosis of liver disease, recipient's age, and blood group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with the development of GVHD after OLT. The univariate and multivariate analyses identified two main risk factors associated with development of GVHD in OLT recipients, a difference between recipient and donor age of >20 yr, and any human leukocyte antigen class I matches. Taking these two risk factors into consideration while matching prospective donors and recipients may reduce further incidence of GVHD in OLT patients. However, further studies are recommended to validate these findings.

The combination of SOF/LDV without RBV for 12 or 24 weeks produced 100% SVR 12 in patients with HCV recurrence after liver transplantation. The use of RBV may not be necessary to achieve SVR in this patient population.