Vernadakis S, Sotiropoulos GC, Brokalaki EI, Esser S, Kaiser GM, Cicinnati VR, Beckebaum S, Paul A, Mathé Z. Long-term outcomes of liver transplant patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection and end-stage-liver-disease: single center experience.
Eur J Med Res 2011;
16:342-8. [PMID:
21813377 PMCID:
PMC3351986 DOI:
10.1186/2047-783x-16-8-342]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective
Orthotopic-liver-transplantation (OLT) in patients with Human-Immunodeficiency-Virus infection (HIV) and end-stage-liver-disease (ESDL) is rarely reported. The purpose of this study is to describe our institutional experience on OLT for HIV positive patients.
Material and methods
This is a retrospective study of all HIV-infected patients who underwent OLT at the University Hospital of Essen, from January 1996 to December 2009. Age, sex, HIV transmission-way, CDC-stage, etiology of ESDL, concomitant liver disease, last CD4cell count and HIV-viral load prior to OLT were collected and analysed. Standard calcineurin-inhibitors-based immunosuppression was applied. All patients received anti-fungal and anti-pneumocystis carinii pneumonia prophylaxis post-OLT.
Results
Eight transplanted HIV-infected patients with a median age of 46 years (range 35-61 years) were included. OLT indications were HCV (n = 5), HBV (n = 2), HCV/HBV/HDV-related cirrhosis (n = 1) and acute liver-failure (n = 1). At OLT, CD4 cell-counts ranged from 113-621 cells/μl, and HIV viral-loads from < 50-175,000 copies/ml. Seven of eight patients were exposed to HAART before OLT. Patients were followed-up between 1-145 months. Five died 1, 3, 10, 31 and 34 months after OLT due to sepsis and graftfailure respectively. Graft-failure causes were recurrent hepatic-artery thrombosis, HCV-associated hepatitis, and chemotherapy-induced liver damage due to Hodgkin-disease. One survivor is relisted for OLT due to recurrent chronic HCV-disease but non-progredient HIV-infection 145 months post-OLT. Two other survivors show stable liver function and non-progredient HIV-disease under HAART 21 and 58 months post-OLT.
Conclusions
OLT in HIV-infected patients and ESLD is an acceptable therapeutic option in selected patients. Long-term survival can be achieved without HIV disease-progression under antiretroviral therapy and management of the viral hepatitis co-infection.
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