Immunosuppressants
Drug therapy with immunosuppressive drugs is required after each transplant. These drugs suppress the body’s own defense system. The immune system is responsible for recognizing foreign bodies and taking active measures against them.
In the case of bacteria or viruses, this is also sensible and useful. However, the transplanted organ is also a foreign body and is treated as such by the immune system. Without further measures, the donor organ would be destroyed.
In order to prevent this, however, the body’s own defense system is inhibited by the immunosuppressants and is not directed against the transplanted organ. The disadvantage of this is that the defence system is then no longer directed against other foreign bodies such as bacteria. Thus, patients taking immunosuppressive drugs are very susceptible to bacterial and viral infections as well as fungal diseases.
They should protect themselves more strongly against possible germs, especially immediately after the procedure. There are various drugs that are used for immunosuppression. The highest dosage is administered in the period immediately after organ transplantation, as the risk of transplant rejection is highest at this time.
Risks
Depending on the size and length of the surgical procedure, there is a risk of bleeding during and after the operation. Often, surgeons have to cut through large blood vessels and suture them to the new organ during organ transplantation. The risk of infection is also increased.
After the transplant has been performed, the greatest risk is that the body’s own defense system will reject the organ. This occurs when the defense cells recognize the transplanted organ as a foreign body and destroy it. For this reason, immunosuppressive therapy is very important to weaken the immune system. Such rejection can occur immediately after surgery, a few weeks later, or even years after transplantation.In the case of a living donation, there is an additional risk that a healthy person is exposed to a risk situation, namely the operation, and that complications may occur during or after the operation.
