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Introduction: There are existing international guidelines for long-term follow-up (LTFU) care of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) survivors. However, implementing these guidelines represents a unique challenge in resource-challenged settings. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate adherence to recommended surveillance in allo-HCT survivors at an academic center in North India and study the incidence of late effects. This single-center, retrospective study analyzed records of allo-HCT recipients from 2016 to 2020. Survivors were screened in our LTFU clinic at day +100 and +365 using cardiometabolic parameters (screening for hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, 24-hour urine protein, thyroid function), pulmonary function test (PFT), bone mineral density (BMD), and initiation of revaccination. Results: A total of 40/80 (50%) allo-HCT survivors were alive at a median of 888 days (IQR 515-1,306). The adherence to home-based screening parameters such as blood pressure and blood glucose was highest (>75%), followed by lab-based parameters (45-70%), and lowest for specialized tests such as PFT (<50%) at both day +100 and +365 time points. Adherence to the initiation of revaccination was only 67%. At least one cardiometabolic parameter was out of range in 55% and 63% of survivors at day +100 and +365, respectively. Conclusion: The adherence to recommended surveillance measures for allo-HCT survivors in an academic LTFU clinic at one year was only 75% overall. Cardiometabolic abnormalities were noted in more than half of the survivors. This study emphasizes the need for a structured LTFU clinic in all centers performing HCT.
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Background: There is a lack of prospective studies to address the issue of timing of bone mineral density (BMD) measurement and anti-resorptive therapy before and after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), specifically in the younger population (age < 40 years). This study evaluated the incidence and risk factors of poor BMD in young Indian patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant and the effect of anti-resorptive therapy in allogeneic transplant recipients who are at high risk for severe bone loss. Methods: This was a single-center, prospective study conducted from 2016 to 2019. All patients aged ≥ 12 years undergoing allo-HCT were included in the study. Data regarding the risk factors for osteoporosis, underlying diagnoses, and HCT characteristics were recorded. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) (HOLOGIC Discovery A) at the lumbar spine (LS), femoral neck (FN), and total hip (TH) at pre-HCT, day+100, and day+365 post-HCT. Patients with Z-score ≤ -2 at day+100 were given one dose (4 mg) of intravenous zoledronate. Patients with moderate to severe chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) also received a dose of zoledronate if they had not received it earlier. Results: The median age of our cohort was 24 years (IQR 18.5 - 39.5). Day+100 DXA was available for 25 (54.3%) patients, a paired day+100, and day+365 DXA was available for 15 patients. For pre-HCT, a Z-score ≤ -2 was seen in 30% of patients. For day+100 post-HCT, a Z-score ≤ -2 was seen in 44% of patients. Low body mass index was associated with a Z-score ≤ -2 (median 18 vs. 23 kg/m2, P = 0.04). Despite a single dose of zoledronate in this cohort, the median Δ BMD (day+365 - day+100) loss at FN and LS was -0.8% to -3.7%, respectively. Seven (64%) of these patients also had moderate-severe chronic GVHD. Conclusions: BMD below the expected range for age (Z-score ≤ -2) was present in one-third of young Indian patients undergoing allo-HCT in this single center study. Without intervention, up to half of the patients had a Z-score ≤ -2 at day+100 post-HCT. BMD loss at day+100 persisted at day+365 despite anti-resorptive therapy.
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Hepatic involvement is an infrequent manifestation of abdominal tuberculosis and could occur in form of granulomatous hepatitis, nodular involvement or abscess formation. Tubercular liver abscess (TLA) is uncommon, and diagnosing this entity is a challenge. Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) assay has been widely used for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and lymph nodal tuberculosis. Its utility in some forms of other extrapulmonary TB has also been studied. The role of Xpert MTB/RIF for diagnosis of tubercular liver abscess is not known. Here we present a series of four 4 cases of TLA, where the diagnosis was made on the basis of positive Xpert MTB/RIF assay tested on liver drained pus.