Transplant rejection is a process in which a transplant recipient’s immune system rejects transplanted organ or tissue. It often occurs when your immune system detects microbes like bacteria or virus. These harmful substances have proteins called antigens coating on their surfaces. As soon as these antigens enter the body, the immune system recognizes that they are “foreign bodies” and attacks them. Some degree of rejection occurs with every transplant, depends on the individual.
There are three types of rejections, they are:
(i) Hyperacute rejection: Which occurs a few minutes after the transplant when the antigens are completely unmatched. E.x. when a person is given type A blood when he or she is type B.
(ii) Acute rejection: Which occur any time from the first week after the transplant to 3 months and afterward. All recipients have some amount of acute rejection.
(iii) Chronic rejection: It takes place over many years. The body’s constant immune response against the new organ slowly damages the transplanted tissues or organ.
Some of the symptoms occur during transplant rejection are:
- Change in pulse rate
- Pain or tenderness over the transplant site
- Flu-like symptoms such as chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, headache, dizziness and body aches and pains
- Fever
- Swelling
- Weight gain
- Less urine
By weakening or reducing your immune system’s responses to foreign material, some drugs reduce your immune system’s ability to reject a transplanted organ. These drugs also allow you to maintain enough immunity to prevent overwhelming infection. These medications work in different phases of the immune response to produce effective immunosuppression and minimize side effects. Clinical immunosuppression usually occurs in three phases: induction, maintenance and anti-rejection.