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Characteristics and outcomes of aplastic anemia in HIV patients: a brief report from the severe aplastic anemia working party of the European Society of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 51, pages 313–315 (2016)Cite this article

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Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is a rare disease, which has been exceptionally reported in the setting of HIV. Here we describe the outcomes of eight patients who were diagnosed with SAA in the context of HIV infection.

A decrease in the incidence of several AIDS-defining diseases, and so, longer-life expectancy of HIV-infected patients, after the introduction of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) in 1995,1 runs parallel with an increase in other non-commonly AIDS-related pathologies, such as autoimmune disorders.2 Idiopathic SAA is considered to be a rare immune-mediated bone marrow failure disorder. Although hematological abnormalities are frequent in patients infected with HIV3 and may have a complex origin, there have been only anecdotal case reports of SAA in the setting of HIV infection.4, 5 Advances in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and immunosuppressive therapy (IST) have improved survival in SAA and at least 80% of patients are alive at 5 years post diagnosis.6 Nevertheless, the management of SAA in the setting of HIV infection remains a challenge.

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Acknowledgements

We are particularly thankful to all centers of the Severe Aplastic Anemia Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), and of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) who kindly agreed to participate in this study. SP and RPL have full access to all of the data and take responsibility for their integrity.

Author contributions

Conception and design: SP, RPL and JM. Data collection and assembly: SP, CKB, MAS, HM, JM, ME. Data analysis and interpretation: SP, RPL. Manuscript: SP, RPL. Final approval of manuscript: SP, LG, HM, MAS, CKB, ME, DB, AK, CD, RPL and JM.

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Author notes

  1. R Peffault de Latour and J Marsh: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Hematology, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy

    S Pagliuca

  2. Hematology-Transplantation Department, AP-HP, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France

    S Pagliuca & R Peffault de Latour

  3. Clinical Immunopathology Department, AP-HP, St Louis Hospital, Paris, France

    L Gérard & D Boutboul

  4. Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College Hospital/King's College London, London, UK

    A Kulasekararaj & J Marsh

  5. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,

    M Eapen

  6. Department of Hematology, Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    H Martin

  7. Department of Hematology, Hospital das Clinicas da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Bahia, Brazil

    M A Salvino

  8. EBMT Data Office, Leiden, The Netherlands

    C Knol-Bout

  9. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Clinical and Experimental Haematology Unit, G Gaslini Childrens' Hospital, Genova, Italy

    C Dufour

  10. University Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France

    R Peffault de Latour

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  1. S Pagliuca
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  2. L Gérard
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  5. D Boutboul
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  11. J Marsh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R Peffault de Latour.

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Pagliuca, S., Gérard, L., Kulasekararaj, A. et al. Characteristics and outcomes of aplastic anemia in HIV patients: a brief report from the severe aplastic anemia working party of the European Society of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 51, 313–315 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2015.252

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