title: Corneal allograft rejection following immunization.
abstract: Five patients developed corneal allograft rejection after immunization. One patient, a 33-year-old woman, received a tetanus toxoid booster nine months after a corneal transplant for keratoconus. Within four days she developed a graft rejection that required a penetrating keratoplasty two years later. Six months later, after hepatitis B immunization, the patient reported decreased vision and the graft was cloudy, but visual acuity was 20/20. The other four patients developed graft rejection after influenza immunization. Two of these four graft rejection episodes were successfully treated with high-dose corticosteroid therapy; all episodes occurred within several weeks of influenza immunization. Patients should be prudently counseled regarding the possible risks of immunization to corneal allograft survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40536-0084.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Steinemann
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Koffler
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Jennings
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control; D012086:Reoperation; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid / Q000009:adverse effects; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D013745:Tetanus Toxoid; D014765:Viral Vaccines