Organ transplants and AIDS: a worrying prognosis for HIV

The survival time of HIV-positive patients vis-à-vis the AIDS virus awaiting liver donation is significantly lower than that of HIV-negative patients, according to a study.

Margaret Ragni, School of Medicine University of Pittsburgh and colleagues followed 58 HIV-positive patients awaiting a liver transplant due to liver pathology terminally ill, and 1359 also seronegative patients waiting for a liver.

HIV-positive patients, 36.2% died before receiving a transplant, and 15.5% of seronegative patients, the researchers reported in the journal "Liver Transplantation", published by the American Association for Research diseases of the liver and the International Society for liver transplants.

In addition, the survival time was lower in HIV-infected (880 days against 1427), while the severity of their liver pathology was equivalent terminal, say scientists.

More than half of all deaths of HIV-positive patients has been linked to infection and statistical analysis failed to link the prognosis with the severity of liver disease or HIV infection, the authors state .

When HIV-positive individual is affected by a pathology of end-stage liver, the researchers suggest, its defenses already weakened the perhaps more "because of immune dysfunction associated with liver damage are, which indicates a greater vulnerability people with HIV infection or with sepsis, "they argue.

The researchers also call for further studies to assess the potential effectiveness of antibiotic drugs used for prophylaxis to reduce the risk of infection.

"By then, it would seem prudent to monitor very carefully transplant candidates infected patients to detect early signs of infection, inform them about the potential risks of infection and urge them to seek medical assistance immediately the first signs of infection, "they conclude.

In an accompanying editorial, Peter Stock, University of California at San Francisco suggests that the orientation of HIV patients to transplant centers may be delayed by the fact that many physicians continue to receive the Infection with HIV as a barrier to transplantation.