Hepatitis C virus infection in acquired aplastic anemia

Burden, Outcome, and Comorbidities of Extrahepatic Manifestations in Hepatitis B Virus Infections

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections affect approximately 296 million people around the world, and the prevalence of any past or present HBV infection during the years 2015-2018 was as high as 4.3%. Acute HBV infection often presents with nonspecific symptoms and is usually self-limited, but 5% of patients can have persistent infections leading to chronic HBV infection and the risk of turning into chronic HBV infection is significantly higher in babies with vertical transmission (95%). Patients with chronic HBV infection are usually asymptomatic, but 15 to 40% of chronic HBV carriers develop cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition to liver-related disorders, HBV is also associated with several extrahepatic complications, including glomerulonephritis, cryoglobulinemia, neurologic disorders, psychological manifestations, polyarthritis, and dermatologic disorders. Making the diagnosis of HBV can be challenging since patients with chronic infections can remain symptom-free for decades before developing cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma, and patients with acute HBV infection may have only mild, nonspecific symptoms. Therefore, understanding how this virus causes extrahepatic complications can help clinicians consider this possibility in patients with diverse symptom presentations. The pathophysiology of these extrahepatic disorders likely involves immune-related tissue injury following immune complex formation and inflammatory cascades. In some cases, direct viral infection of extrahepatic tissue may cause a clinical syndrome. Currently, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases recommends treatment of chronic HBV infections with interferon therapy and/or nucleos(t)ide analogs, and this treatment has been reported to improve some extrahepatic disorders in some patients with chronic HBV infection. These extrahepatic complications have a significant role in disease outcomes and increase medical costs, morbidity, and mortality. Therefore, understanding the frequency and pathogenesis of these extrahepatic complications provides important information for both specialists and nonspecialists and may help clinicians identify patients at an earlier stage of their infection.

Hepatitis-associated Aplastic Anemia Treated Successfully With Antithymocyte Globulin

Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia (HAAA) is a variant of acquired aplastic anemia in which bone marrow failure follows the development of an acute episode of seronegative hepatitis. HAAA occurs most frequently in male children and is lethal if left untreated. Antilymphocyte globulin, antithymocyte globulin, and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation have been used in the treatment of this disease. In this work, we report the case of a 3-year-old boy with HAAA treated successfully with immunosuppressive therapy.

Features of Hepatitis in Hepatitis-associated Aplastic Anemia: Clinical and Histopathologic Study

OBJECTIVES

Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia (HAA) is a rare variant of aplastic anemia in which patients present with severe pancytopenia after an episode of acute hepatitis. The marrow failure is often rapid, severe, and usually fatal if untreated. The preceding hepatitis is largely under-studied.

METHODS

Retrospective study of the clinical and histopathologic features of hepatitis in pediatric patients who subsequently developed aplastic anemia and comparison with consecutive cases of acute liver failure and random cases of autoimmune hepatitis during the same time frame.

RESULTS

All 7 patients of HAA had significant elevations in aminotransferases and conjugated hyperbilirubinemia at initial presentation. Echoing liver function indices, cholestatic hepatitis with sinusoidal obstruction-type endothelial injury was seen histomorphologically. Autoimmune hepatitis serology such as anti-F-actin, anti-liver/kidney microsome, and hypergammaglobulinemia was negative in all patients. Five of 7 patients (71.4%) had, however, elevated antinuclear antibody, all with a speckled pattern. Hepatitis virus serology was negative in all patients. By immunohistochemical staining, the lobular CD8/CD4 lymphocyte ratio was markedly elevated in all of the initial samples with significant reduction in this ratio (P = 0.03) in 3 patients post treatment (ursodiol, antibiotics, and/or immunosuppressive therapy).

CONCLUSIONS

Hepatitis preceding HAA is characterized by marked elevation of aminotransferases, conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, elevated antinuclear antibody with a speckled pattern, cholestatic hepatitis with sinusoidal obstruction morphology, and CD8 dominant lobular infiltrates. The present study suggests HAA may result from cytotoxic T-cell-mediated sinusoidal endothelial and hepatocytic injury.

Risk of Aplastic Anemia and Pesticide and Other Chemical Exposures

Risk of aplastic anemia (AA) from occupational exposures to pesticides and industrial chemicals was evaluated in a hospital-based case control study in Thailand (541 cases of AA and 2261 controls). Exposure data were obtained via participants’ self-reports and by experts’ assessments and the data from these 2 exposure assessment methods were compared. There was an increased risk of AA associated with several classes of pesticides measured by either self-report or expert assessment. The strongest associations were seen in those whose exposures were identified both by self-report and by expert assessment. Comparing very high/high to no exposure, odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were as follows: for organophosphates 3.20 (1.87-5.46), carbamates 4.75 (1.92-11.75), organochlorines 6.04 (1.31-27.84), and paraquat 2.17 (1.11-4.25). There were correlations among the pesticides because many types were used in the same job, so it was not possible to determine whether these risks were independent or because of confounding of one by another.

Hepatitis associated aplastic anemia: a review

Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia (HAAA) is an uncommon but distinct variant of aplastic anemia in which pancytopenia appears two to three months after an acute attack of hepatitis. HAAA occurs most frequently in young male children and is lethal if leave untreated. The etiology of this syndrome is proposed to be attributed to various hepatitis and non hepatitis viruses. Several hepatitis viruses such as HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, HEV and HGV have been associated with this set of symptoms. Viruses other than the hepatitis viruses such as parvovirus B19, Cytomegalovirus, Epstein bar virus, Transfusion Transmitted virus (TTV) and non-A-E hepatitis virus (unknown viruses) has also been documented to develop the syndrome. Considerable evidences including the clinical features, severe imbalance of the T cell immune system and effective response to immunosuppressive therapy strongly present HAAA as an immune mediated mechanism. However, no association of HAAA has been found with blood transfusions, drugs and toxins. Besides hepatitis and non hepatitis viruses and immunopathogenesis phenomenon as causative agents of the disorder, telomerase mutation, a genetic factor has also been predisposed for the development of aplastic anemia. Diagnosis includes clinical manifestations, blood profiling, viral serological markers testing, immune functioning and bone marrow hypocellularity examination. Patients presenting the features of HAAA have been mostly treated with bone marrow or hematopoietic cell transplantation from HLA matched donor, and if not available then by immunosuppressive therapy. New therapeutic approaches involve the administration of steroids especially the glucocorticoids to augment the immunosuppressive therapy response. Pancytopenia following an episode of acute hepatitis response better to hematopoietic cell transplantation than immunosuppressive therapy.

Aplastic anemia associated with interferon alpha 2a in a patient with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a case report

Introduction

Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia is a common syndrome in patients with bone marrow failure. However, hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia is an immune-mediated disease that does not appear to be caused by any of the known hepatitis viruses including hepatitis C virus. In addition, to the best of our knowledge there are no reported cases of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection developing aplastic anemia associated with pegylated interferon alpha 2a treatment.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 46-year-old Greek man who developed severe aplastic anemia during treatment with pegylated interferon alpha 2a for chronic hepatitis C virus infection. He presented with generalized purpura and bruising, as well as pallor of the skin and mucous membranes. His blood tests showed pancytopenia. He underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after completing two courses of immunosuppressive therapy with antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporin A.

Conclusions

The combination of a specific environmental precipitant represented by the hepatitis C virus infection, an altered metabolic detoxification pathway due to treatment with pegylated interferon alpha 2a and a facilitating genetic background such as polymorphism in metabolic detoxification pathways and specific human leukocyte antigen genes possibly conspired synergistically in the development of aplastic anemia in this patient. Our case clearly shows that the causative role of pegylated interferon alpha 2a in the development of aplastic anemia must not be ignored.

Clinical Response of Antilymphocyte Globulin-Based Treatment in Patients in Taiwan with Aplastic Anemia: Positive Hepatitis C Antibody May Represent a Response Predictor

Immunosuppression (IS) therapy with antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) is currently the treatment of choice for patients with aplastic anemia who do not have histocompatible sibling donors or who are not candidates for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Thirty-eight patients with aplastic anemia who received ALG-based therapy at a single institute in Taiwan were analyzed, and 28 were followed up for more than 6 months. Four patients (10.5%) had a complete response, and 11 (28.9%) had a partial response. The overall response rate was 39.4%. The significant prognostic factor that affected the response to IS therapy was a positive test result for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus. The rate of early mortality (death within 90 days after initiation of ALG-based therapy) was 15.8%, and most deaths were secondary to infection. Factors influencing the risk of early mortality were old age, hypotension, and bacteremia. In conclusion, ALG-based IS therapy was effective for aplastic anemia in Chinese patients. The role of hepatitis C associated with aplastic anemia and its relationship to IS need to be clarified by further investigations.