A Retrospective Study of Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection in 584 Kidney Transplantation Recipients

Abstract

Renal transplant recipients are at risk from severe varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infections because they receive immunosuppressive therapy. We retrospectively evaluated 81 cases of VZV infection among 584 renal transplantation recipients in our institute. Our study revealed that VZV infection was more frequent in renal transplant recipients than in the general population, or in general dermatology clinics. Specifically, in VZV infection recipients after kidney transplantation, 11 patients developed disseminated herpes zoster, and one died of VZV encephalitis. We proposed a treatment protocol for VZV infection in renal transplant recipients.