COVID-19 impact in Crohn’s disease patients submitted to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

BACKGROUND Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),a disease that has been blamed for inducing or exacerbating symptoms in patients with autoimmune diseases.Crohn's disease(CD)is an inflammatory bowel disease that affects genetically susceptible patients who develop an abnormal mucosal immune response to the intestinal microbiota.Patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(HSCT)are considered at risk for COVID-19.AIM To describe for the first time the impact of COVID-19 in CD patients who had undergone autologous,non-myeloablative HSCT.METHODS In this descriptive study a series of 19 patients were diagnosed with positive COVID-19.For two patients there were reports of the occurrence of two infectious episodes.Parameters related to HSCT,such as time elapsed since the procedure,vaccination status,CD status before and after infection,and clinical manifestations resulting from COVID-19,were evaluated.RESULTS Among the patients with COVID-19,three,who underwent Auto HSCT less than six months ago,relapsed and one,in addition to the CD symptoms,started to present thyroid impairment with positive anti-TPO.Only one of the patients required hospitalization for five days to treat COVID-19 and remained in CD clinical remission.Nine patients reported late symptoms that may be related to COVID-19.There were no deaths,and a statistical evaluation of the series of COVID-19 patients compared to those who did not present any infectious episode did not identify significant differences regarding the analyzed parameters.CONCLUSION Despite the change in CD status in three patients and the presence of nine patients with late symptoms,we can conclude that there was no significant adverse impact concerning COVID-19 in the evaluated patients who underwent HSCT to treat CD.

Medical,ethical,and legal aspects of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for Crohn’s disease in Brazil

Crohn's disease(CD)is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract.The etiology of CD is unknown;however,genetic,epigenetic,environmental,and lifestyle factors could play an essential role in the onset and establishment of the disease.CD results from immune dysregulation due to loss of the healthy symbiotic relationship between host and intestinal flora and or its antigens.It affects both sexes equally with a male to female ratio of 1.0,and its onset can occur at any age,but the diagnosis is most commonly observed in the range of 20 to 40 years of age.CD diminishes quality of life,interferes with social activities,traumatizes due to the stigma of incontinence,fistulae,strictures,and colostomies,and in severe cases,affects survival when compared to the general population.Symptoms fluctuate between periods of remission and activity in which complications such as fistulas,strictures,and the need for bowel resection,surgery,and colostomy implantation make up the most severe aspects of the disease.CD can be progressive and the complications recurrent despite treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs,corticosteroids,immunosuppressants,and biological agents.However,over time many patients become refractory without treatment alternatives,and in this scenario,hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(HSCT)has emerged as a potential treatment option.The rationale for the use of HSCT for CD is anchored in animal studies and human clinical trials where HSCT could reset a patient's immune system by eliminating disease-causing effector cells and upon immune recovery increase regulatory and suppressive immune cells.Autologous HSCT using a non-myeloablative regimen of cyclophosphamide and anti-thymocyte globulin without CD34+selection has been to date the most common transplant conditioning regimen adopted.In this review we will address the current situation regarding CD treatment with HSCT and emphasize the medical,ethical,and legal aspects that permeate the procedure in Brazil.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for Crohn's disease: Gaps, doubts and perspectives

Crohn's disease(CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any site of the digestive system. It occurs due to an immunological imbalance and is responsible for intestinal mucosal lesions and complications such as fistulas and stenoses. Treatment aims to stabilize the disease, reducing the symptoms and healing intestinal lesions. Surgical procedures are common in patients. Cell therapy was initially used to treat this disease in patients who also suffered from lymphoma and leukemia and were considered to be good candidates for autologous and allogeneic transplantation. After transplantation, an improvement was also observed in their CD. In 2003, the procedure began to be used to treat the disease itself, and several case series and randomized studies have been published since then; this approach currently comprises a new option in the treatment of CD. However, considerable doubt along with significant gaps in our knowledge continue to exist in relation to cell therapy for CD. Cell therapy is currently restricted to the autologous modality of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and, experimentally, to mesenchymal stromal cells to directly treat lesions of the anal mucosa. This article presents the supporting claims for transplantation as well as aspects related to the mobilization regime, conditioning and perspectives of cell therapy.