Newswise – Philadelphia – More than 90% of the US adult population is infected or infected with the Epstein Barr virus (EBV). EBV is a highly contagious member of the herpesvirus family best known for causing infectious mononucleosis (“that”), and in the context of several cancers and autoimmune diseases It is known. According to a study by the Perelman School of Medicine, kidney transplant patients who have never been exposed to EBV but who have been given organs from donors who have been given organs from donors carrying the virus have suffered from lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD). It can develop life-threatening post-transplant complications called. University of Pennsylvania. An estimated 4-5% of adult kidney transplants (as of 1,200 patients per year) may be at risk of a state in which the body's immune system becomes disrupted, immune cells become uncontrollable, and can act like cancer There is. The findings were recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
In kidney transplant recipients who had not previously been infected with EBV, the researchers found that 22% of previously infected donors with EBV had been given kidneys, but within three years of transplant, PTLD (rare and aggressive forms) We found that PTLD, a cancer of the disease, has developed. This cancer rate is 5-10 times higher than previously estimated for kidney recipients, based on domestic registered data. Furthermore, EBV Recipients who had none and received kidneys from people who had previously exposed to EBV were at a higher risk of death. Almost a third of those affected by PTLD died during the study period. Ta.
This study adds a significant overall understanding of disease. Although the risk of being diagnosed with PTLD after kidney transplants is widely recognized, the likelihood that adults are not exposed to EBV is much lower than children, and thus it has been historically studied in children's populations .
“National registration data is likely to underestimate the incidence of PTLD due to incomplete reports and errors in tracking whether organ donors and recipients have been exposed to viruses like EBV.” said Vishnu Potluri, MD, MPH, assistant professor of renal electrolytes. Penn's Hypertension Division. “Our research uses comprehensive, high-quality data from two major US transplant centers, revealing much higher risk than previous data suggests.”
Impact on patient care
Penn's Director of Transplant Infectious Diseases, Emily Brunberg, MD, highlights the importance of proactive strategies for patient care. This includes investigating early and routine testing of EBV activity in the blood and individual adjustments of immunosuppressive therapy. ”
“Given the serious threat to survival poses by PTLD and the substantial discrepancy between the findings and previous data, our study has furthermore aimed at enhancing the safety and survival of this vulnerable implant population. It serves as a call to action to prioritize research.” Associate Professor in the Department of Renal Electrolytes at the University of Pittsburgh and Senior Author of the Study.
Funding for this study is provided by funding of the National Institute of Diabetes and Gastrointestinal Diseases and Kidney Diseases (K08DK127250, K08DK119576, R01-DK070869), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (K24AI146137), and the University of Pennsylvania McCabe It was done.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers dedicated to related duties in medical education, biomedical research, patient care excellence and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, established in 1765 as the nation's first medical school, and the Raymond and Russ Perelman School of Medicine at Penn.
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