Importance of concomitant viral infection during late acute liver allograft rejection.
We have determined accompanying events and reviewed the management and outcome of late acute cellular rejection episodes in 384 consecutive liver recipients. A significant proportion of patients experienced concomitant viral infection (group 1, n = 15 [41%]), with CMV infection comprising the largest group and smaller contributions from other viruses (CMV, 30%; HSV, 5%; EBV, 3%; varicella zoster virus, 3%). Thirteen (35%) patients (group 2) developed late rejection associated with low maintenance immunosuppression, and in a further 10 patients (group 3), no accompanying factor could be identified. Refractory rejection was higher in late compared with early rejection episodes in our series (29% vs. 9.2%, P < 0.05). Antiviral chemotherapy administered in rejection episodes with concomitant viral infection, either as sole treatment in cases with accompanying hepatitis or as adjunctive therapy to further supplemental immunosuppression in episodes of steroid-resistant rejection, controlled the rejection process in all treated patients.
Cakaloglu
Y
Y
Institute of Liver Studies, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, United Kingdom.
Devlin
J
J
O'Grady
J
J
Sutherland
S
S
Portmann
B C
BC
Heaton
N
N
Tan
K C
KC
Williams
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000150:complications* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents