Immunosuppression
Some people suffer an irreversible decline in the functioning of their organs and ultimately organ failure. Organ transplantation may be the only lifesaving option available to these patients.
While today's transplantation techniques are better than ever, the supply of organs available for transplant continues to be the weak link in the system. Some transplants, such as kidneys and bone marrow, can come from living donors. However transplants such as heart, lung, and liver, must come from deceased organ donors.
What is Immunosuppression?
A complication of organ transplantation is the need to match the tissue types of both the donor and the recipient. Even if the tissue is matched as closely as possible, the recipient's body may still try to reject the transplanted organ, because it sees it as foreign.
In order to prevent the rejection of the transplanted organ, the body's immune system must be suppressed. This is called immunosuppression.
What are possible symptoms of organ rejection?
When an organ is transplanted from one person (the donor) into another (the recipient), the immune system of the recipient triggers the same response against the new organ it would have to any foreign material, setting off a chain of events that can damage the transplanted organ. This process is called rejection and it can occur rapidly (acute rejection), or over a long period of time (chronic rejection).
The symptoms of organ rejection 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.
Generally, symptoms can include:
- The organ does not function properly;
- General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling;
- Pain or swelling in the location of the organ;
- Fever.
Can organ rejection be treated?
Immunosuppressants greatly decrease the risks of rejection, protecting the new organ and preserving its function. They act by blocking the immune system so that it is less likely to react against the transplanted organ.
Immunosuppressants can be classified according to their specific molecular mode of action (the way they work). There are three main types of immunosuppressants:
- Medicines that act by inhibiting T-cell activation, thus preventing T-cells from attacking the transplanted organ;
- Medicines that disrupt the synthesis of DNA and RNA and cell division;
- Corticosteriods that suppress the inflammation associated with transplant rejection.
For more information see your Doctor or Healthcare Professional.
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