title: Donor or recipient hepatitis B seropositivity is associated with allograft vasculopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increasing interest has focused on possible viral triggers of cardiac allograft vasculopathy. Although much interest has centered on cytomegalovirus, it has recently been noted that donor hepatitis C seropositivity is associated with risk for accelerated vasculopathy. The current study hypothesized that hepatitis B (HBV) might be associated with accelerated vasculopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six patients who received heart transplants between September 1998 and July 2000 were analyzed by intravascular ultrasound within 6 weeks and again at 12 months after transplantation. These patients were divided into 2 groups: the HBV Group (n = 13) in which either the donor or recipient was seropositive for hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb), and a Control Group (n = 53) in which neither donor nor recipient was positive for HBcAb.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline characteristics of the 2 groups were similar. The HBV Group had significant increase in the change in average intimal area (1.59 +/- 1.4 vs 0.46 +/- 0.4 mm2, p = 0.01) per mm length of the vessel compared with controls. Allograft vasculopathy at 1 year (defined as largest maximal intimal thickness increase of > or =0.50 mm) occurred in 46% of the HBV group compared with 24% of the control group (p = 0.05). When measured as an average maximal intimal thickness increase of >0.30 mm, allograft vasculopathy at 1 year occurred in 31% of the HBV Group compared with 5% of Controls (p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary results suggest that HBV seropositivity in donor or recipient may be associated with an increased risk for cardiac allograft vasculopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA. Shaji@tulane.edu
authors.forename: Showkat A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Haji
authors.forename: Robin K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Avery
authors.forename: Mohamad H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yamani
authors.forename: E Murat
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Tuzcu
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Crowe
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Mawhorter
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hobbs
authors.forename: James B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smedira
authors.forename: Randall C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Starling
mesh_terms: D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens