HHV-6 reactivation in stem cell transplant patients associated with cognitive decline and delirium.
Danielle Zerr and associates at Seattle Children’s Hospital studied cognitive functioning in 315 hematopoietic cell transplant patients (HCT) and found that the 35% of patients with HHV-6 detected in the plasma were more likely to develop cognitive problems or delirium by day 84. The virus affected characteristics of cognition such as attention, processing speed and concentration but not visuospatial perception, fine motor speed or coordination. This study demonstrated a quantitative association between HHV-6 reactivation and CNS dysfunction after HCT. Read Abstract.