Seattle -- Early findings from a multi-site study led by UCSF investigators show that 95% of the HIV-infected patients in the study who received kidney transplants and 84% who received liver transplants in this era of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART), are surviving nearly one year post-transplantrates comparable to non-HIV-infected kidney and liver transplant recipients for the same period.

The study, which looked at 41 HIV-infected patients who have received liver and kidney transplants, also showed comparable rates for grafted organ function with 89% of the kidney grafts and 84% of the liver grafts functioning nearly one year post-transplant in the HIV-infected recipients. The findings, collected retrospectively from UCSF and collaborating transplant centers around the country, were presented at the 9th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

HIV disease does not seem to be progressing at an appreciable rate post-transplant in eligible subjectsthose without a history of opportunistic infections, with relatively preserved CD4 T-cell counts, and suppressed or suppressible HIV virus, said the studys lead investigator, Michelle E. Roland, MD, UCSF assistant professor of medicine in the Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center.

With the caveats that this data is retrospectivea prospective study is in processand very preliminary, we can say that the news so far is extremely good for those subjects who met the eligible subject criteria, said study co-investigator, Peter G. Stock, MD, UCSF associate professor of surgery.

In addition, we noted data on 8 HIV-infected subjects who received transplants6 kidney, 2 liverbut who did not meet the study eligibility criteria and were not part of the 41 included in the study. Twoone liver recipient, one kidney recipientof those patients died, said Roland.

Of the 19 study-eligible patients who received liver transplants, 16 hav
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Contact: Jeff Sheehy
jsheehy@psg.ucsf.edu
415-597-8165
University of California - San Francisco
27-Feb-2002