Skip navigation
MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You U.S. National Library of MedicineNational Institutes of Health
Contact Us FAQs Site Map About MedlinePlus
español Home Health Topics Drug Information Medical Encyclopedia Dictionary News Directories Other Resources

 

Medical Encyclopedia

Other encyclopedia topics:  A-Ag  Ah-Ap  Aq-Az  B-Bk  Bl-Bz  C-Cg  Ch-Co  Cp-Cz  D-Di  Dj-Dz  E-Ep  Eq-Ez  F  G  H-Hf  Hg-Hz  I-In  Io-Iz  J  K  L-Ln  Lo-Lz  M-Mf  Mg-Mz  N  O  P-Pl  Pm-Pz  Q  R  S-Sh  Si-Sp  Sq-Sz  T-Tn  To-Tz  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  0-9 

Transplant rejection

Printer-friendly versionEmail this page to a friend
Contents of this page:

Illustrations

Antibodies
Antibodies

Alternative names    Return to top

Graft rejection; Tissue/organ rejection

Definition    Return to top

Transplant rejection is when a transplant recipient's immune system attacks a transplanted organ or tissue. See also graft-versus-host disease.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors    Return to top

Your body's immune system protects you from potentially harmful substances, such as microorganisms, toxins, and cancer cells. These harmful substances have proteins called antigens on their surfaces. If your immune system identifies antigens that are foreign (not part of your body), it will attack the substance.

In the same way, foreign blood or tissue can trigger a blood transfusion reaction or transplant rejection. To help prevent this, tissue is "typed" before the transplant procedure to identify the antigens it contains.

Though tissue typing ensures that the organ or tissue is as similar as possible to the tissues of the recipient, the match is usually not perfect. No two people (except identical twins) have identical tissue antigens.

Immunosuppressive drugs are needed to prevent organ rejection. Otherwise, organ and tissue transplantation would almost always cause an immune response and result in destruction of the foreign tissue.

There are some exceptions, however. Corneal transplants are rarely rejected because corneas have no blood supply -- immune cells and antibodies do not reach the cornea to cause rejection. In addition, transplants from one identical twin to another are almost never rejected.

Symptoms    Return to top

The symptoms vary depending on the transplanted organ or tissue. For example, patients who reject a kidney may have less urine, and patients who reject a heart may have symptoms of heart failure.

Signs and tests    Return to top

The doctor will use his or her hands to feel over the organ, and this may feel tender to you (particularly with transplanted kidneys).

There are often signs that the organ isn't functioning properly. For example:

A biopsy of the transplanted organ can confirm that it is being rejected. A routine biopsy is often performed to detect rejection early, before symptoms develop.

When organ rejection is suspected, one or more of the following tests may be performed prior to organ biopsy:

Treatment    Return to top

The goal of treatment is to make sure the transplanted organ or tissue functions properly, while at the same time suppressing the recipient's immune response. Suppressing the immune response can treat and prevent transplant rejection.

Many different drugs can be used to suppress the immune response. These include azathioprine, cyclosporine, corticosteroids (such as prednisone), and OKT2 monoclonal antibodies. OKT2 monoclonal antibodies specifically reduce the activity of T lymphocytes, which are the main immune system cells responsible for transplant rejection.

The dosage of the medication depends on the patient's status. The dose may be very high while the tissue is actually being rejected, and then reduced to a lower level to prevent it from happening again.

Expectations (prognosis)    Return to top

Some organs and tissues are more successfully transplanted than others. If rejection begins, immunosuppressive drugs may stop the rejection. The person must take immunosuppresive drugs for the rest of his or her life.

However, immunosuppressive treatment is not always successul.

Complications    Return to top

Calling your health care provider    Return to top

Call your health care provider if the transplanted organ or tissue does not seem to be working properly or if other symptoms occur. Also, call your health care provider if medication side effects develop.

Prevention    Return to top

ABO blood typing and HLA (tissue antigen) typing before transplantation helps to ensure a close match. Suppressing the immune system is usually necessary for the rest of the transplant recipient's life to prevent the tissue from being rejected in the future.

Update Date: 5/16/2003

Updated by: A.D.A.M. editorial. Previous review by Sarah Pressman Lovinger, M.D., General Internist at Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

adam.com logo

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2002 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.