Presentation of atopic disease in a large cohort of pediatric liver transplant recipients

• Published in: Pediatric transplantation Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 379 - 384
• Main Authors: Shroff, P., Mehta, R. S., Chinen, J., Karpen, S. J., Davis, C. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2012; Blackwell
• Subjects: Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Follow-Up Studies; General aspects; Humans; Hypersensitivity, Immediate - epidemiology; Hypersensitivity, Immediate - etiology; Infant; Liver Transplantation; Liver, biliary tract, pancreas, portal circulation, spleen; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; pediatric liver transplantation; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Retrospective Studies; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the digestive system; Surveys and Questionnaires; tacrolimus; tolerance; Allergy; Pediatrics; Calcineurin inhibitor; Liver; Homotransplantation; Atopy; Surgery; Cohort study; Graft; Protein synthesis inhibitor; Child; Public health; Human; Immunopathology; Digestive system; Tolerance; Lactone; Macrolide; Immunomodulator; Treatment; Tacrolimus; Immunosuppressive agent; Antibacterial agent; pediatric liver transplantation; Inaugural sign; Liver transplantation
• ISSN: 1397-3142; 1399-3046
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3046.2012.01684.x

Shroff P, Mehta RS, Chinen J, Karpen SJ, Davis CM. Presentation of atopic disease in a large cohort of pediatric liver transplant recipients. :  Atopic disease occurs in solid organ transplant recipients with an increasingly recognized frequency. The time course for the development of these atopic diseases in liver transplantation has not been described. The objective was to characterize the atopic manifestations of children receiving chronic immunosuppression after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Chart review and follow‐up questionnaire were utilized for 176 OLT pediatric recipients at a single institution for manifestations of allergic disease. Atopic disease was present in 25 (14.2%) patients. Median age at transplant was 16 months with a median follow‐up of 63 months. Food allergy and non‐food related atopic symptoms presented at a median of 11.5 (IQR, 6–28) and 19 (IQR, 5–41) months post‐transplantation, respectively. The median age at transplant of the non‐atopic children was 72 months, higher than patients with atopy (p < 0.001). Food allergy and atopic skin disease symptoms were present in 40% and 56% of cases, respectively. Asthma, allergic rhinitis, or both were found in 66% of cases. The onset of symptoms of food allergy and eczema (median, 12 months post‐transplantation) preceded symptoms of allergic rhinitis and asthma. (median of 27 and 30 months post‐transplantation, respectively). Atopy occurs in ∼14% of pediatric liver transplant recipients, with manifestations including food allergy, eczema, allergic rhinitis, and asthma.