4 Tips for Preventing Organ Transplant Rejection
After a long wait on the transplant list, you finally get your transplantation surgery. You immediately start to feel better, but suddenly you notice some tenderness over the transplant site. You may even begin to experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches. While this could be an infection, it could also be a sign of organ rejection. Rejection is a terrifying word that may cause feelings like fear and worry. But don’t panic too quickly. Rejection doesn’t always mean that you will lose the transplanted organ or that it is failing. In fact, most people who have organ transplant surgery will experience one episode of acute rejection within the first year after a transplant. What is Organ Rejection? Organ rejection occurs when the immune system recognizes the transplanted organ as a foreign object and attempts to protect the body by attacking it. There are three main types of organ rejection: Hyperacute rejection is caused by mismatched antibodies, meaning the antibodies of the donor organ were completely different from those of the recipient. It typically happens within minutes and up to a few hours after transplantation and will cause the organ to no longer be viable. Because of …
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