Pediatric Heart Transplant Rejection After COVID-19 Infection

Abstract

Infections have been associated with rejection episodes in solid organ transplant recipients. We report an association between COVID-19 infection and heart transplant (HT) rejection. The patient was 14 years old and 6.5 years post-HT. He developed symptoms of rejection within 2 weeks of COVID exposure and presumed infection. In this case, COVID-19 infection closely preceded significant rejection and graft dysfunction. Further study is needed to establish a correlation between COVID-19 infection and rejection in HT patients.