What is the main cause of organ rejection?

“Rejection” is a very scary word, but it doesn’t always mean you are losing your transplanted organ. Rejection is when the organ recipient’s immune system recognizes the donor organ as foreign and attempts to eliminate it. It often occurs when your immune system detects things like bacteria or a virus.

How often does a body reject an organ transplant?

Acute rejection can occur at any time, but it is most common from one week to three months after transplant surgery. Fifteen percent or less of patients who receive a deceased donor kidney transplant will have an episode of acute rejection. When treated early, it is reversible in most cases.

Can organ rejection be stopped?

After an organ transplant, you will need to take immunosuppressant (anti-rejection) drugs. These drugs help prevent your immune system from attacking (“rejecting”) the donor organ. Typically, they must be taken for the lifetime of your transplanted organ.

How do you prevent organ rejection?

How can you prevent organ rejection and promote immune tolerance of a transplant?

1. Ensure recipient and donor have compatible blood types.
2. Perform genetic testing to ensure compatible recipient and donor matches.
3. In the case of living donors, donor organs from relatives are preferred.

How common is organ rejection?

Even with the use of immunosuppressants, your body can at times recognize your transplanted organ as a foreign object and attempt to protect you by attacking it. Despite immunosuppression medications, 10-20\% of patients will experience at least one episode of rejection.

What happens if an organ is rejected?

Even though medicines are used to suppress the immune system, organ transplants can still fail because of rejection. Single episodes of acute rejection rarely lead to organ failure. Chronic rejection is the leading cause of organ transplant failure. The organ slowly loses its function and symptoms start to appear.