What causes a person to need a liver transplant?

The majority of transplants in the United States are currently performed in persons with hepatitis C. Patients with hepatitis C before transplant will still have it afterward. The virus will stay in the blood and infect the new liver. However, the new liver will work better than the old one, and hepatitis C usually takes many years to cause problems for the new liver.

Before a medical provider recommends a transplant, a patient will be evaluated by a hepatologist (or another medical professional who specializes in care of the liver). Other treatments will be considered with the hope that the liver disease can be managed without a transplant.

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