Management of leukopenia in kidney and pancreas transplant recipients.

Abstract

Leukopenia is frequently observed in the setting of solid organ transplantation. The risk factors, natural history, and outcomes associated with leukopenia post-transplantation have not been well defined. We retrospectively studied 102 adult kidney and/or pancreas transplant recipients over a one-yr period of time. By defining leukopenia as a white blood cell count < or =3000 cells/mm(3) and neutropenia as an absolute neutrophil count < or =2000/mm(3), the combined incidence of either leukopenia or neutropenia was 58% (59/102); the first episode occurred at a mean of 91 d post-transplant. A significant increase in the incidence of leukopenia was found in patients who either received alemtuzumab induction (42% with alemtuzumab vs. 9% with rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin induction, p < 0.05) and/or had rapid steroid withdrawal in the early post-transplant period (44% with vs. 16% without steroid withdrawal, p < 0.05). The most common intervention performed for leukopenia was reducing the dose of mycophenolate mofetil and/or valganciclovir. When granulocyte stimulating factors were used, a mean of 3.1 doses were needed to successfully manage the leukopenia. Although leukopenia was a common finding in our study of kidney and/or pancreas transplant recipients, there was no difference in the rates of infection or acute rejection in patients with and without leukopenia.

• Authors: Erica L Hartmann, Mandy Gatesman, Julie Roskopf-Somerville, Robert Stratta, Alan Farney, Aimee Sundberg
• Journal: Clinical transplantation (Clin Transplant) 2008 Nov-Dec Vol. 22 Issue 6 Pg. 822-8 ISSN: 1399-0012 [Electronic] Denmark
• PMID: 19040562 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Monoclonal
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Antibodies, Neoplasm
• Antilymphocyte Serum
• Antineoplastic Agents
• Antiviral Agents
• Immunosuppressive Agents
• Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor
• Alemtuzumab
• Valganciclovir
• Mycophenolic Acid
• Ganciclovir

Topics

• Alemtuzumab
• Antibodies, Monoclonal (therapeutic use)
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Antibodies, Neoplasm (therapeutic use)
• Antilymphocyte Serum (therapeutic use)
• Antineoplastic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Antiviral Agents (therapeutic use)
• Female
• Ganciclovir (analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
• Graft Rejection (drug therapy, epidemiology, etiology)
• Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Immunosuppressive Agents (therapeutic use)
• Kidney Transplantation
• Leukopenia (drug therapy, epidemiology, etiology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Mycophenolic Acid (analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
• Pancreas Transplantation
• Postoperative Complications (drug therapy, epidemiology, etiology)
• Retrospective Studies
• Valganciclovir