Photo Credit: Ekaterina Dorozhkina
The following is a summary of “Safety and outcome of treatment of latent tuberculosis infection in liver transplant recipients,” published in the February 2024 issue of Infectious Diseases by Lee et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of screening for and treating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in liver transplant (LT) recipients, who face heightened tuberculosis (TB) risks and increased mortality rates.
They conducted LTBI screening for all adult LT candidates at their institution between March 2020 and February 2022. Candidates testing positive for interferon-γ-releasing assay or meeting epidemiological or clinical-radiological LTBI criteria were subsequently treated and monitored.
The results showed that of 857 LT recipients, 199 (23.2%) were diagnosed with LTBI, with 171 (85.9%) initiating treatment. The median follow-up duration was 677 days. Adequate LTBI treatment was administered to 141/171 (82.5%) patients, while treatment was prematurely discontinued in 30/171 (17.5%). Liver enzyme elevation was the primary reason for discontinuation in 11/30 cases (36.7%); only five patients discontinued treatment due to suspected isoniazid-associated hepatotoxicity. No active TB cases emerged among treated LTBI patients during follow-up, whereas 3.6% (1/28) of untreated LTBI patients and 0.6% (4/658) of patients without LTBI developed TB.
Investigators concluded that LTBI screening and treatment effectively prevent TB in liver transplants, but close monitoring for side effects is crucial.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s15010-023-02161-1
