The incidence of zoster after immunization with live attenuated varicella vaccine: a study in children with leukemia

Article Abstract:

For more than 10 years, a vaccine called Oka has been under evaluation in the US for immunization against varicella-zoster virus, the causative agent of chickenpox. The vaccine consists of a strain of live virus which is attenuated, that is, which no long possesses the virulence of its wild type ancestor. However, since the virus in the vaccine is alive, there remains some risk of clinical infection, as well as complications. For chickenpox, the most common serious infection is herpes zoster, which causes shingles. The chickenpox virus can cause a latent infection in nerve ganglia which can then never be eradicated. The latent infection can develop into the painful lesions of herpes zoster affecting the skin served by the infected nerves. It has already been established that the attenuated varicella vaccine causes shingles in some patients. However, it is also clear that the risk of developing shingles after receiving the vaccine are no greater than after having a case of chickenpox, and may in fact be lower. Children suffering from leukemia are at higher risk than normal children for herpes zoster following a natural varicella infection. A study was conducted to compare the risk of developing a herpes zoster infection after immunization with the risk of herpes zoster following natural infection. In a series of 548 leukemia patients who had been immunized against varicella, herpes zoster developed in 13 patients over an average of 4.5 years of follow-up. Measurements of immune system function in some patients showed cell-mediated immunity tended to be lower among the children who developed herpes zoster. To compare this risk with the risk of natural infection, a sample of 96 children was selected from the 548 patients and matched with a control sample of 96 leukemia patients who had suffered a case of chickenpox. There were four cases of herpes zoster among the immunized patients and 15 cases among the children who had recovered from natural infections. These results indicate that even though the live vaccine can cause herpes zoster, the risk is still lower than that which may occur following a natural varicella-zoster infection. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Complications and side effects, Chickenpox vaccine, Chickenpox vaccines, Childhood leukemia, Shingles (Disease), Herpes zoster, Leukemia in children

---

Response to 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia resistant to fludarabine

Article Abstract:

2-chlorodeoxyadenosine may be an effective treatment for patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who do not respond to treatment with fludarabine. Four CLL patients who were resistant to treatment with fludarabine were treated intravenously with 0.12 milligrams of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine per kilogram of body weight each day for a five-day period every month. One patient went into complete remission and three went into partial remission after treatment with the drug. None of the patients experienced side effects such as nausea, vomiting or hair loss. All of the patients had advanced CLL, and none had previously experienced as large a remission as during treatment with 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine. CLL is the most common form of leukemia among residents of the western hemisphere.

Health aspects, Drug therapy, Halocarbons, Lymphocytic leukemia

---

A new mechanism of Leukemia drug resistance?

Article Abstract:

The cause of resistance of leukemic cells to certain drugs is discussed.

United States, Causes of, Leukemia, Drug resistance

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Significance of aberrant immunophenotypes in childhood acute lymphoid leukemia
• Abstracts: Lipoprotein profiles in hypercholesterolemic children. Diurnal variation in the pharmacokinetics and myelotoxicity of mercaptopurine in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia
• Abstracts: Prevalence of otitis media with effusion in children with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Rehabilitation of head injured children
• Abstracts: The Human Genome Project: prospects and implications for clinical medicine. part 2 Physicians and preventive medicine
• Abstracts: Ultrasonography of acute abdominal pain in children. Advances in the Use of Computed Tomography. Current status of pain management in children

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.