Association of Willingness to Accept a Hepatitis C Status Donor Kidney on Access to Transplant
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: The development of curative therapy for Hepatitis C (HCV) created the ability to safely utilize kidneys recovered from donors testing positive for HCV. We evaluate the association of kidney transplant candidates’ willingness to accept a HCV-positive donor kidney on access to deceased donor kidney transplant (DDKT), and the utilization of such donors kidneys more broadly. Methods: This study used data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients and included all candidates for DDKT on the waiting list between January 1, 2015, and March 12, 2020 (n = 233,033). Cox models with time to transplant were constructed to evaluate the association of willingness to accept a kidney from a HCV-positive donor with kidney transplant rate. Results: Willingness to accept a HCV-positive donor was associated with increased access to transplant for all waitlisted patients. Transplant rates for candidates willing to accept a HCV-positive donor were 0.296 transplants per person-years waiting compared to 0.132 transplants per person-years waiting for candidates who were never willing to accept such donors. In total, 8.3% of all waitlisted patients indicated willingness at listing while an additional 9.7% of the remaining waitlisted patients indicated willingness at later date with median time to willingness being 55 days (IQR: 0–719 days) after listing. Among waitlisted patients who were ever willing to accept a HCV-positive donor, 62.9% were male, 55.5% were White, and 51.4% attained a high school degree or higher. The numbers of DDKT using kidneys from HCV + donors increased during the study period; however, the nonuse of such kidneys has increased. Conclusion: Interventions targeting willingness to accept a HCV-positive donor may simultaneously increase access to transplant and support policies to reduce organ nonuse.
DOI: 10.1159/000551520
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7138306305