The risk factors for cytomegalovirus reactivation following stem cell transplantation

Opportunistic infections like cytomegalovirus (CMV) are among the primary causes of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing hematipoetic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This infection is frequently seen in early postengraftment period. So we determined to find the risk factors associated with CMV reactivation.

We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of 126 consecutive patients who underwent allogenic‑HSCT from peripheral blood stem cells from August 2011 to February 2013 in Shariati Hospital. We included HSCT patients with 15 years of age or older, who survived at least 100 days after transplantation. CMV reactivation was detected based on the weekly PP65 assessment. Patients with 10 or more positive cells per 50,000 cells were defined as having high‑level antigenemia.

From 126 patients which included in this study, 76 were male (60%). CMV antigenemia was documented in 43 patients (34%). The median time to CMV infection was 40 days (range: 3–77) after transplantation. The incidence of high‑level antigenemia during the first 100 days following HSCT was 11%.

We found that the significant risk factor for CMV antigenemia in multivariate analysis was prior graft‑versus‑host disease (GVHD) experience and higher donor age. For high‑level antigenemia, GVHD or duration of its treatment was significant determinant.