Sage-Tips

What are the risks of organ transplants?

Short-term complications

• Infection. Minor infections, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), colds and flu, are common after kidney transplants.
• Blood clots. Blood clots can develop in the arteries that have been connected to the donated kidney.
• Narrowing of an artery.
• Blocked ureter.
• Urine leakage.
• Acute rejection.

What are problems with transplants?

Most people who have an organ transplant live a pretty normal life. But organ transplants can still lead to other medical problems. This is usually because of the medicines needed to suppress the immune system so it doesn’t “fight” the donor organ. These problems range from the annoying to the life-threatening.

Why does the human body reject organ transplants?

When a patient receives an organ transplant, the immune system often identifies the donor organ as “foreign” and targets it with T cells and antibodies made by B cells. Over time, these T cells and antibodies damage the organ, and may cause reduced organ function or organ failure. This is known as organ rejection.

What happens when your body rejects a kidney transplant?

“Flu-like” symptoms: chills, aches, headache, dizziness, nausea and/or vomiting. New pain or tenderness around the kidney. Fluid retention (swelling) Sudden weight gain greater than two to four pounds within a 24-hour period.

What are the risks of kidney transplant?

What are the risks for kidney transplant?

• Bleeding.
• Infection.
• Blockage of the blood vessels to the new kidney.
• Leakage of urine or blockage of urine in the ureter.
• Lack of function of the new kidney at first.

How is organ rejection prevented?

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.

There are substantial risks of organ transplants. It is possible a surgery can go wrong, a particular body can reject an organ, there can be side effects after the procedure is done and a new organ doesn’t always assure a better life. There are case studies where people have died even after a successful organ transplant.

Why do some people need organ transplants?

Some people may have diseases that lead to organ failure, or they may have suffered an injury that would require an organ transplant. Major organs that may be transplanted include: While many organ transplants are successful, there is still a chance that the recipient’s immune system will reject the transplanted organ.

Can the immune system reject an organ transplant?

While many organ transplants are successful, there is still a chance that the recipient’s immune system will reject the transplanted organ. Before a patient can have an organ transplant, they will take a blood test that will allow doctors to perform tissue typing.

What are the most common types of organ transplants?

The most common transplants are done by taking an organ from one human body, alive or deceased, and transplanted into another human body. Organs, tissues such as skin, ligaments, and tendons, and even the cornea from the eye can be recovered and given to a recipient to treat a wide variety of issues.