Graft-vs-Host Disease in a Liver Transplant Patient With COVID-19 Infection

Sara Kiparizoska; Veronica Nguyen; Amol S Rangnekar

doi:10.14309/crj.0000000000000971

Graft-vs-Host Disease in a Liver Transplant Patient With COVID-19 Infection

ACG Case Rep J. 2023 Jan 25;10(1):e00971. doi: 10.14309/crj.0000000000000971. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Sara Kiparizoska¹, Veronica Nguyen^{2

3}, Amol S Rangnekar²

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC.
² Transplant Institute, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC.
³ Transplant Hepatology, Inova Medical Group, Fairfax, VA.

Abstract

Graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) after liver transplant is a rare complication with high mortality outcomes. Because of the rarity of occurrence, there is no standardized consensus for treatment. Early recognition of symptoms and a multidisciplinary approach with input from transplant hepatology and hematology is important to determine a treatment plan and improve outcomes. We present a unique case of a 49-year-old woman who developed GVHD during a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection 3 months after receiving a liver transplant. More data are needed to determine whether COVID-19 infection itself correlates with a risk of developing GVHD.

Keywords: COVID-19; graft-vs-host disease; liver transplant.

Publication types

Case Reports