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  • Hepatic decompensation in the absence of obvious precipitants: the potential role of cytomegalovirus infection/reactivation

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Hepatology
Hepatic decompensation in the absence of obvious precipitants: the potential role of cytomegalovirus infection/reactivation
  1. Silvia Rosi1,
  2. Valentina Poretto1,
  3. Marta Cavallin1,
  4. Paolo Angeli1,
  5. Piero Amodio1,
  6. Andrea Sattin2,
  7. Sara Montagnese1
  1. 1Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
  2. 2Infectious and Tropical Diseases Unit, Padova University Hospital, Padova, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sara Montagnese; sara.montagnese{at}unipd.it

Abstract

Details of two patients with alcohol-related and mixed aetiology cirrhosis who developed acute-on-chronic liver failure/hepatic decompensation with no obvious precipitants are reported. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection or reactivation was diagnosed in both, and required treatment with ganciclovir in one. Both returned to baseline hepatic function and remain well. Physicians should be alert to the possibility that CMV might cause or contribute to hepatic decompensation in patients with cirrhosis, even if they are not severely immunocompromised, and especially if they are alcohol misusers.

  • ACUTE LIVER FAILURE
  • ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE
  • ASCITES
  • CIRRHOSIS

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgast-2015-000050

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