American journal of hematology
-
To evaluate the efficacy of long-term prophylaxis with ultra-low-dose acyclovir against varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactivation, we analyzed the records of 242 Japanese adult patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the first time from 1995 to 2006 at our hospital. We started long-term oral acyclovir at 200 mg/day in July 2001. Acyclovir was continued until the end of immunosuppressive therapy and at least 1 year after transplantation. ⋯ VZV reactivation following discontinuation tended to occur in patients who were receiving immunosuppressive therapy at the cessation of acyclovir. These findings suggested that long-term prophylaxis of ultra-low-dose acyclovir resulted in a successful prevention of severe VZV-related symptoms and death, with a significantly decreased overall incidence of VZV reactivation. Prolongation of prophylactic acyclovir on profound immunosuppression might be important for thorough suppression of VZV reactivation.