Background: Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is a rare complication but carries a high mortality after transplantation. We retrospectively evaluated the incidence, risk factors and impact of this complication on the survival outcome of intestinal transplantation at a single center.
Methods: 241 patients who underwent intestinal transplantation between March 1994 and July 2007 were analyzed for evidence of GVHD. A diagnosis of GVHD was based on clinical presentations and confirmed by histological findings.
Results: Of the 241 patients, 22 (9.1%) were diagnosed as GVHD. The median time of GVHD onset was 75 days (range, 14-1,408). The incidence of GVHD was significantly higher in young children than in adults (13.2 versus 4.4%, P = 0.05). The multivisceral graft recipients were more likely to develop GVHD compared with those of isolated small bowel (12.4% versus 4.6%, P = 0.05). The presence of recipient splenectomy was significantly associated with the incidence of GVHD (P = 0.03). The inclusion of the spleen in the multivisceral grafts tended to be at an increased risk of GVHD compared with the group without the spleen transplant (12.3% versus 7.9%, P = 0.43). A total of 16 patients with GVHD died during the entire follow-up. Infection was the leading cause of death in 55% patients.
Conclusions: GVHD is a fatal and progressive complication of small bowel transplantation. Younger children, multivisceral graft recipients, and particularly those with splenectomy are at high risk of developing GVHD after transplantation.