Haematologica (Jan 2011)

Viral encephalitis after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a rare complication with distinct characteristics of different causative agents

  • Martin Schmidt-Hieber,
  • Julie Schwender,
  • Werner J. Heinz,
  • Tatjana Zabelina,
  • Jörn S. Kühl,
  • Sabine Mousset,
  • Silke Schüttrumpf,
  • Christian Junghanss,
  • Gerda Silling,
  • Nadezda Basara,
  • Stefan Neuburger,
  • Eckhard Thiel,
  • Igor W. Blau

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2010.029876
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 96, no. 1

Abstract

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Background Limited data are available on characteristics of viral encephalitis in patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.Design and Methods We analyzed 2,628 patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation to identify risk factors and characteristics of viral encephalitis.Results Viral encephalitis occurred in 32 patients (1.2%, 95% confidence interval 0.8%–1.6%) and was associated with the use of OKT-3 or alemtuzumab for T-cell depletion (P