Risk factors and prognosis of varicella zoster virus infection following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with thalassemia / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the risk factors and prognosis of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection in children with thalassemia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).Methods:The clinical data of 446 children with thalassemia who underwent allo-HSCT from January 2012 to December 2020 in the Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children′s Hospital were retrospectively collected.The clinical features of the patients with VZV infection were analyzed.The patients were divided into different groups according to whether they had VZV infection.Categorical variables between groups were compared using the chi- square tests to investigate the risk factors that were associated with the development of VZV.Survival time was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results:VZV incidence was 4.3% (19/446 cases), and the median onset time was 5 months (1.5-11.0 months) after allo-HSCT.Of the 19 cases with VZV infection, 5 cases were complicated with VZV encephalitis.All cases were treated with antiviral agents (Acyclovir alone, or both Acyclovir and Foscarnet), intravenous immunoglobulin and external use of Acyclovir ointment.After 7-28 days of treatment (median treatment time 14 days), all of their herpes subsided, and the neurological symptoms of patients with VZV encephalitis disappeared.One of the 19 children died.The death was not directly caused by VZV infection, but by secondary graft dysfunction and severe pneumonia 5 months after VZV infection.The incidence of VZV infection following allo-HSCT in children with thalassemia was related to the age of the donor ( P=0.010), but not to the age of the patient ( P=0.378), gender ( P=0.653), disease grade of thalassemia ( P=0.912), type of the donor ( P=0.205), source of stem cells ( P=0.624) and acute graft versus host disease ( P=0.277). VZV infection had no significant effect on the prognosis of thalassemia children after allo-HSCT ( P=0.241). Conclusions:Thalassemia children with VZV infection after allo-HSCT are prone to be complicated with VZV encephalitis.Cord blood transplantation is a high risk factor.VZV infection may not have an impact on survival of children with thalassemia after allo-HSCT.