Risk factors and clinical characteristics of acute and chronic cutaneous graft-versus-host disease in pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Abstract

Acute and chronic cutaneous graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are common complications following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in pediatric patients. In this retrospective study, we explored the risk factors and clinical characteristics of acute and chronic cutaneous GVHD in a case series of children undergoing HSCT at a tertiary referral hospital. We found that 36% of acute cutaneous GVHD was severe and these patients were more likely to have an unrelated donor, and that children with acute cutaneous GVHD who progressed to chronic cutaneous GVHD had a higher proportion of malignant diseases, total body irradiation, and bronchiolitis obliterans compared to those who did not progress to chronic cutaneous GVHD. Our study highlights the importance of identifying and monitoring these high-risk patients to improve the clinical management and outcomes of cutaneous GVHD in pediatric HSCT recipients.