Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-6-6
pubmed:abstractText
Severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is one of the major complications after haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). Treatment of severe GVHD is difficult and the condition is often fatal. One proposed method of improving the therapy is to include anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG). Here, we will report our results in 29 patients using ATG as part of treatment for severe steroid-resistant acute GVHD. Four patients suffered from grade II, 13 from grade III and 12 from grade IV GVHD. Median time to grade II GVHD was 24 d (range 7-91 d) and to grade III was 29 d (range 8-55 d) after HSCT. Five different ATG preparations were used, rabbit ATG (R-ATG), BMA 031, OKT3, ATG-Fresenius and Thymoglobuline. All patients had skin involvement, 26 also had gut involvement and 25 had liver involvement. The rate of response to treatment was best in skin involvement (72%), while liver and gut involvement showed lower response rates (38%). Eleven patients survived more than 90 d, 7 of them developed chronic GVHD, 1 developed mild GVHD, 1 developed moderate GVHD and 5 developed severe GVHD. Survival at 100 d was 37% and at 1 yr it was 12%. Most patients died of GVHD, with virus or fungal infections as contributing causes of death. To conclude, treatment of severe acute GVHD is difficult and ATG, in our hands, adds nothing to conventional pharmacological treatment.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
0902-0063
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
15
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
147-53
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Treatment of severe acute graft-versus-host disease with anti-thymocyte globulin.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Clinical Immunology and Centre for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. mats.remberger@impi.ki.se
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't