More than 10,000 seriously ill people, including many children, are currently waiting for a donor organ. For these, it is often the only possible life-saving measure. About one third of patients whose heart, liver or lungs fail will not win the race against time and succumb to their disease before a suitable donor organ is … Organ Donation: Giving the Gift of Life
Introduction In organ transplantation, a diseased organ of a patient is replaced by the same organ from a donor. This organ donor is usually recently deceased and has agreed to the removal of his organs if his death can be proven beyond doubt. Living people can also be considered as donors if a special relationship … Organ Transplantation
Bone Marrow Donation Bone marrow donation plays an important role in the therapy of malignant tumor diseases affecting the hematopoietic system. Examples of such diseases are: acute leukemias, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Hodgkin’s lymphoma or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but also aplastic anemia and thalassemia, which are not tumor diseases. The bone marrow contains stem cells that … Bone Marrow Donation | Organ Transplantation
Liver Transplantation Every year, approximately 1000 patients in Germany are treated with new liver parts. The donor organs are mostly from deceased people, whereby one liver can be divided between two needy patients. A living donation is also possible to a certain extent. This way, parents can donate parts of their liver for their sick … Liver Transplantation | Organ Transplantation
Lung Transplantation In a lung transplantation, only one or more lung lobes, a whole lung or both lobes can be used. The choice between the different options is made individually depending on the previous disease. The following diseases most frequently require lung transplantation in the final stage: therapy-resistant sarcoidosis, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), pulmonary … Lung Transplantation | Organ Transplantation
Procedure of organ donation If an organ donor dies, their personal data will be forwarded to the German Foundation for Organ Transplantation (DSO), which in turn contacts the highest authority called Eurotransplant. Eurotransplant is a medical center that coordinates the allocation of organ transplants throughout Europe. Once a suitable organ has been found for a … Procedure of organ donation | Organ Transplantation
Definition – What is the HLA? In medicine, the abbreviation HLA stands for Human Leukocyte Antigen. The HLA are a group of molecules consisting of a protein portion and a carbohydrate portion. Therefore they are called glycoprotein. The HLA are found on the surface of every single body cell and also on the surfaces of … HLA – Human Leukocyte Antigen
Procedure for HLA determination HLA can be determined in four different ways. In each case, tissue from both donor and recipient is required. The exact determination of the structure of the HLA is done with the so-called antigen determination. The process of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used for this. In this process cells … Procedure for HLA determination | HLA – Human Leukocyte Antigen
Evaluation of the HLA values The costs of a typing are about 50€. If the typing has to be very detailed, the costs can be higher. In the last years the effort and therefore the costs could be reduced strongly by the mechanical evaluation. All articles in this series: HLA – Human Leukocyte Antigen Procedure … Evaluation of the HLA values | HLA – Human Leukocyte Antigen
Rejection reaction after stem cell transplantation The most common complications after stem cell transplantation include infections caused by the immunosuppressive drugs and so-called graft-versus-host disease, in which immune cells of the donor are directed against the cells of the recipient. There is an increased risk, especially in the first year, especially in the first six … Rejection reaction after stem cell transplantation | Rejection reaction
Introduction If our body’s own immune system recognizes foreign cells, it activates various mechanisms to protect against the mostly undesired invaders. Such a reaction is intentional if pathogens such as bacteria, viruses or fungi are involved. However, a rejection reaction is not desired in the case of organ transplantation. In the worst case, the foreign … Rejection reaction
Forecast The prognosis after organ transplantation promises a higher life expectancy than if the original, more and more functionless organ is left in place. About 60% of heart transplant patients live with the donor organ for more than ten years. Lung transplant patients also benefit from a higher life expectancy of several years. They often … Forecast | Rejection reaction
