Kidney transplant with a kidney infected with hepatitis C virus, followed by treatment for the hepatitis C, was effective and reduced costs compared with transplant with an uninfected kidney after hepatitis C treatment, according to new research published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Between 10% to 15% of U.S. patients receiving dialysis are seropositive for [HCV],” the researchers wrote. “Some of these patients are willing to accept HCV-infected kidneys from deceased donors in part because wait times for such kidneys are shorter than those for HCV-uninfected kidneys.”