Clinical characteristics and prognosis analysis of cytomegalovirus reactivation in patients with liver failure / 中华传染病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in patients with liver failure.Methods:A total of 75 patients diagnosed with liver failure and tested for serum CMV DNA between January 2016 and June 2019 in Huashan Hospital, Fudan University were retrospectively analyzed. According to the CMV DNA test results, the patients were divided into CMV DNA positive group and CMV DNA negative group. The classification of liver failure, the use of glucocorticoids, the proportions of T lymphocyte subsets of the two groups were compared and the prognosis was evaluated. Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test were used to analyze the data. Results:Of the 75 patients with liver failure, 17 were CMV DNA positive and 58 were CMV DNA negative. Among the 17 CMV DNA positive patients, nine were acute (subacute) liver failure, and 13 were treated with glucocorticoids, which were all significantly higher than those in the CMV negative group (20.7%(12/58) and 20.7%(12/58), respectively). The differences were both statistically significant ( χ2=6.70 and 18.40, respectively, both P<0.05). The proportions of CD3 + T lymphocytes and CD8 + T lymphocytes in the CMV DNA positive group were both higher than those in the CMV DNA negative group, and the proportions of CD4 + T lymphocytes, the ratio of CD4 + /CD8 + T lymphocytes and the proportion of B lymphocytes were all lower than those in the CMV DNA negative group. The differences were all statistically significant ( U=274.50, 165.50, 273.00, 185.00 and 189.00, respectively, all P<0.05). Acute (subacute) liver failure (odds ratio ( OR)=4.3, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.3-12.6) and glucocorticoid use ( OR=12.5, 95% CI 3.4-38.3) were risk factors for CMV reactivation in patients with liver failure. The disease improvement rate in the CMV DNA negative group was 56.9% (33/58), and five out of 17 patients improved in the CMV DNA positive group, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=1.99, P=0.04). Conclusions:The use of glucocorticoids increases the risk of CMV reactivation in patients with liver failure, and CMV reactivation in patients with liver failure presents immune disorders which seriously affect their prognosis. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to CMV DNA monitoring in patients with liver failure using glucocorticoids.