Possible association between cytomegalovirus infection and gastrointestinal bleeding in hemophiliac patients

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is of major concern in immunocompromised an d immunosuppressed patients. Prior to the introduction of HIV-1 antibody sc reening and efficient virucidal processes to inactivate viruses, individual s with a factor VIII or factor IX deficiency had a high risk of contracting HIV-1 infection through the infusion of contaminated blood products, In ad dition, blood products were also frequently associated with alterations in immune function. This study investigated the frequency of active CMV infect ion and its clinical relevance in Brazilian hemophiliacs, One hundred hemop hiliacs were screened for the presence of CMV-DNA in their blood using nest ed PCR, Twenty-five out of 100 patients (25%) were positive for CMV-DNA and 24 of these 100 patients (24%) were HIV-1 positive; 6 of these 24 (25%) we re positive for CMV-DNA. A similar frequency was observed among HIV-l-negat ive patients, In 60 hemophiliacs, the clinical relevance of the CMV infecti on was assessed. Twenty-one patients were positive for CMV-DNA. Of these, 1 0 had gastrointestinal bleeding compared to only 9 of 39 patients who were CMV-DNA negative (p = 0.05; chi(2) test). These data indicate a high preval ence of active CMV infection in Brazilian hemophiliac patients, irrespectiv e of whether the patients were or were not infected by HIV-1, There was a p ossible association between the presence of CMV and the occurrence of gastr ointestinal bleeding. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.