Severe Herpes Zoster Requiring Intravenous Antiviral Treatment in Allogeneic Hematopoietic-cell Transplantation Recipients on Standard Acyclovir Prophylaxis

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients are at increased risk for varicella zoster virus reactivation and associated complications. The incidence, timing, and risk factors for severe herpes zoster (HZ) are not well described in the era of acyclovir (ACV) prophylaxis. We performed a retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent first allogeneic HCT from October 2006 to December 2015 at our institution. Patients were followed until December 2017 for the development of severe HZ, defined as requiring administration of intravenous antiviral medication.

Source: Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation - April 16, 2019 Category: Hematology Authors: Emily Baumrin, Matthew P. Cheng, Sanjat Kanjilal, Vincent T. Ho, Nicolas C. Issa, Lindsey R. Baden Source Type: research