Common Virus May Be Behind Heart Transplant Rejection
June 13, 2001
The adenovirus, the virus responsible for the common cold and pinkeye, may be responsible for the majority of heart transplant rejections in children, according to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors have long suspected that viruses caused problems with many kinds of transplants. Medications patients take to prevent organ rejection also suppress the immune system making the patient more vulnerable to infections. To the surprise of the researchers in this study, the common adenovirus may be behind many of these transplant rejections.
The study followed 149 California transplant patients between infancy and 18 years of age. Of the 34 children found to have viral infections, 24 had the adenovirus. The risk of complications for children with viral infections was 11 times higher than transplant recipients free of viral infections. Approximately 75% of the nearly 270 children who get heart transplants annually survive at least five years following the procedure. Transplant recipients with the adenovirus only had a 62% survival rate after five years while children with no viral infection were found to have a 96% survival rate after five years.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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