Vitamin D Insufficiency Prior to Paediatric Liver Transplantation Is Associated with Early T-Cell Mediated Rejection
Nathalie M. Rock,
Elisa Anghileri,
Vladimir L. Cousin,
Laetitia-Marie Petit,
Valérie A. McLin
Affiliations
Nathalie M. Rock
Swiss Paediatric Liver Center, Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Unit, Division of Paediatric Specialties, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, 6, Rue Willy-Donzé, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Elisa Anghileri
Swiss Paediatric Liver Center, Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Unit, Division of Paediatric Specialties, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, 6, Rue Willy-Donzé, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Vladimir L. Cousin
Swiss Paediatric Liver Center, Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Unit, Division of Paediatric Specialties, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, 6, Rue Willy-Donzé, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Laetitia-Marie Petit
Swiss Paediatric Liver Center, Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Unit, Division of Paediatric Specialties, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, 6, Rue Willy-Donzé, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Valérie A. McLin
Swiss Paediatric Liver Center, Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Unit, Division of Paediatric Specialties, Department of Paediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, 6, Rue Willy-Donzé, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Objectives: T-cell mediated rejection (TCMR) can compromise long-term liver allograft survival. The immunomodulatory properties of vitamin D are increasingly recognized. We investigated whether perturbations in vitamin D metabolism prior to LT may predispose to TCMR in a representative cohort of paediatric LT recipients. Methods: In this retrospective single-center study of children who underwent liver transplantation between 2005 and 2017, we collected serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels and other parameters related to vitamin D metabolism. Post-transplant variables were collected from medical records during the first year following LT. Results: Eighty-two patients were included. Twenty-six (32%) developed TCMR, 52 (65%) presented at least one event of 25(OH) D insufficiency during the year before the transplant, while 23 (32%) had at least one documented elevated plasma parathyroid hormone level. Forty-six patients benefited from nutritional support (56%). The development of TCMR was associated with vitamin D insufficiency pre-LT (p = 0.01). No significant correlations were identified between PTH levels and incidence of TCMR. The association was stronger in patients transplanted for cholestatic diseases (p = 0.004). Conclusions: Vitamin D insufficiency before a liver transplant may be associated with TCMR during the first year post-LT. These findings warrant further investigation.
