BK virus (BKV)-related haemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is an important cause of morbidity following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The various risk factors include high-level BKV viruria and/or viremia, myeloablative conditioning, acute graft versus host disease (GVHD), cytomegalovirus viremia, and unrelated or HLA-mismatched donor. The presence of high plasma BK viral load and cytopenias have been implicated as important predictors for protracted disease course. These patients frequently require hospitalisation which may extend for several weeks. Supportive measures in the form of analgesics, intravenous hydration, bladder irrigation, and transfusion support remain the mainstay of management. Various drugs have been used with limited success in this setting. These include antiviral drugs, fluoroquinolones, leflunomide, growth factors, clotting factors, estrogens, and prostaglandins. The role of adoptive cellular immunotherapy has also been explored but lacks clinical validation. The strategies aimed at expediting urothelial repair like hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), intravesical fibrin glue and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are emerging. Some patients with severe disease do require surgical intervention to relieve urinary obstruction. The frequent co-occurrence of acute GVHD and CMV disease further complicates the management in such patients. There is an unmet need for effective and evidence-based options for the prevention and management of this disease. Due to lack of robust data supported by randomised trials, the acceptability of the available guidelines to simplify the treatment is expected to be low. Despite the availability of various treatment options, the management of BKV-related HC in day-to-day practice continues to be a challenge. The aim of this article is to put forward an up-to-date review of the preventive and therapeutic strategies for BKV-related HC.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.
Scrub typhus is a zoonosis, which usually manifests as an acute febrile illness. It is caused by a rickettsia, Orientia tsutsugamushi, which is endemic in the Asian region. It can present with varied clinical manifestations, ranging from acute febrile illness to life-threatening multiorgan dysfunction syndrome. Central nervous system involvement in the form of altered sensorium and/or meningitis is frequently observed in scrub typhus. However, isolated cranial nerve involvement is uncommon and so far only a few such cases have been reported in the literature. We present a rare case of scrub typhus with fever and diplopia at presentation, which completely improved with doxycycline-based treatment.
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