Graft-versus-host disease is a condition in which immune cells from a transplanted tissue, most often donor bone marrow or stem cells, recognize the recipient body as foreign and attack it. It is classified as acute or chronic depending on when it appears and which features it shows, and it can affect the skin, gastrointestinal tract, liver and other organs, producing symptoms such as rash, diarrhea and abnormal liver function. The condition is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and a significant cause of illness and death after transplant. Prevention and treatment rely on immunosuppressive medications that reduce the donor immune cells attack on the recipient tissues.
Facts
Classification
Body SystemLymphatic or Immune System 1 ICD-10 ChapterIII: Diseases of the Blood and Blood-Forming Organs and Certain Disorders Involving the Immune Mechanism 1 Communicable or Non-communicable Transmission Route Connections
Treated By
Source Immunosuppression (Wikipedia)
Source Photopheresis (Wikipedia)
Source PUVA therapy (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia: ICD-10
WikipediaList of chapters, Chapter IIIQuote, List of chapters, Chapter III
Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism
2. Wikipedia: Non-communicable disease
WikipediaNamed examples section (transmission-route inferred from disease-category: non-communicable)
NCDs include Parkinson's disease, autoimmune diseases, strokes, heart diseases, cancers, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and others.
Named examples section
NCDs include Parkinson's disease, autoimmune diseases, strokes, heart diseases, cancers, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and others.
View the Source Wikipedia: Graft-versus-host disease
Lead section, transmission-route statementQuote, Lead section, transmission-route statement
GvHD can also occur after a blood transfusion, known as Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease or TA-GvHD if the blood products used have not been gamma irradiated or treated with an approved leukocyte reduction system.
Photopheresis (Wikipedia)
WikipediaTreated By: Photopheresis, Lead: treats Graft-Versus-Host DiseaseQuote, Treated By: Photopheresis, Lead: treats Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Evidence suggests that this treatment might help treat graft-versus-host disease, though this evidence is largely observational; controlled trials are needed to support this use.
PUVA therapy (Wikipedia)
Treated By: PUVA Therapy, Lead: treats Graft-Versus-Host DiseaseQuote, Treated By: PUVA Therapy, Lead: treats Graft-Versus-Host Disease
PUVA (psoralen and UVA) is an ultraviolet light therapy treatment for skin diseases: vitiligo, eczema, psoriasis, graft-versus-host disease, mycosis fungoides, large plaque parapsoriasis, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, using the sensitizing effects of the drug psoralen.
Immunosuppression (Wikipedia)
Treated By: Immunosuppression, Lead: treats Graft-Versus-Host DiseaseQuote, Treated By: Immunosuppression, Lead: treats Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Additionally, it is used for treating graft-versus-host disease after a bone marrow transplant, or for the treatment of auto-immune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, or Crohn's disease.
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