[Pure red cell aplasia in a lung transplant patient]

[Article in Spanish]

Acosta O, Tarin F, Leon A, Moreno A, Bello MD, Perez A.

Seccion de Neumologia. Hospital Universitario Nuestra Senora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Aplastic anemia secondary to infection by parvovirus B19 is normally an extremely rare problem in patients with no prior history. However, the presence of certain risks, such as receiving chronic immunosuppressant therapy, may facilitate its appearance. Very few cases have been published concerning red cell aplasia due to parvovirus B19 infection in patients receiving a transplanted lung.We report the case of a 24-year-old woman with cystic fibrosis who had received a double lung transplant. The patient developed red cell aplasia secondary to parvovirus B19 infection; severe anemia requiring multiple transfusions. Five days of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy resolved the anemia. We discuss the difficulty of serological diagnosis in such cases, the importance of using techniques that identify the virus and taking measures that may prevent recurrence.

Publication Types:

• Case Reports

PMID: 11900693 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]