Graft-versus-host disease

Introduction: Graft-versus-host disease

In most transplants, the patient's body may attempt to reject the transplanted organ (transplant rejection). However, in GVHD, the reverse happens; immune cells from the transplant attack the patient's cells.

Symptoms of Graft-versus-host disease

• Painful rash
• Itchy rash
• Fever
• Jaundice
• Coma

See full list of 10 symptoms of Graft-versus-host disease

Medical Textbooks Online about Graft-versus-host disease

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Graft-versus-host disease?

• Misdiagnosis of Graft-versus-host disease
• Underlying causes of Graft-versus-host disease (possibly wrongly diagnosed)

Causes of Graft-versus-host disease

Read more about causes of Graft-versus-host disease.

More information about causes of Graft-versus-host disease:

• Graft-versus-host disease as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Graft-versus-host disease

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Reseach about Graft-versus-host disease

Visit our research pages for current research about Graft-versus-host disease treatments.

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Article Excerpts about Graft-versus-host disease

A major complication of bone marrow transplantations and sometimes blood transfusions in which white blood cells, called lymphocytes, in the marrow or blood attack tissues in the body into which they were transplanted. (Source: excerpt from Handout on Health Scleroderma: NIAMS)

Definitions of Graft-versus-host disease:

An incompatibility reaction (which may be fatal) in a subject (host) of low immunological competence (deficient lymphoid tissue) who has been the recipient of immunologically competent lymphoid tissue from a donor who lacks at least one antigen possessed by the recipient host; the reaction, or disease, is the result of action of the transplanted cells against those host tissues that possess the antigen not possessed by the donor. Seen most commonly following bone marrow transplantation, acute disease is seen after 5-40 days and chronic disease weeks to months after transplantation, affecting, principally, the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and skin. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Graft-versus-host disease is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Graft-versus-host disease, or a subtype of Graft-versus-host disease, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Graft-versus-host disease as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet