New Test May Protect Future Kidney Organ

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/352937/description/Test_could_warn_of_problems_for_kidney_transplant_recipients


In this article it talks about a potential test that can tell if a patient who had received a kidney organ will potentially have an organ failure. The test would involve checking your urine for for a specific immune protein CXCL9. In a research, they found that patients who show high levels of CXCL9 have a higher chance of organ failure. By doing this test there is no harm to the patient but only beneficial. Standard procedure would be a kidney biopsy where they would have to surgically remove a small piece of the tissue. If the biopsy shows signs of damage tissue, it means that the immune system is attacking the organ and the organ has stop filtering the blood. Rejection can be gradual or sudden but its usually treated by immune suppressant drugs. By having a test that does not involve dangerous invasive procedure, doctors are able to adjust immune suppressant drugs base on the result of their urine.

I really like this article, and the tittle of the article says it all. The article was well written and the information was right on the spot with little to no complication of reading it. There was another article link to this article in the second paragraph but you have to be a member to be able to read it. I was sad to find that out because I was hoping the link could lead to some charts or data. I really wish that this article would have some data regarding to the research but overall was a great article. This is great news to hear for both doctors and patients who had just received a new kidney.

Anti-rejection Drug

After an organ transplant the first thing that should come across your mind is that you want to take care of the new organ that you just received!!!!!!

What is the purpose of anti-rejection drug?

Anti-rejection drugs also known as immunosuppressants, helps suppresses the immune system so the body can accept the new organ. When a new organ is implanted into the patient's body, the patient's immune system may recognize the new organ as foreign and will reject it.  

What kind of anti-rejection drugs are out there?

Anti-rejection drugs have two categories

• Induction agents: These are powerful anti-rejection medication that is used at the time of the transplant.
• Maintenance agents: These are the anti-rejection medications that is used for long term.
• Calcineurin Inhibitors:

• Tacrolimus
• Cyclosporine
• Antiproliferative Agents:
• Mycophenolate Mofetil
• Mycophenolate Sodium 
• Azathioprine
• mTOR Inhibitor:
• Sirolimus
• Steroids:
• Prednison

Are there side effects with these drugs?

• Tacrolimus causes: tremor, hair loss, headaches and increase chance of developing diabetes
• Cycloporine causes: hair growth, gum enlargement, and tremors. Sadly if you are bald, this will not help you grow hair.
• Sirolimus causes: rash, bone marrow problem (low platelets, low white count), swelling of ankle, bubbly urine
• Prednison causes: weight gain, water retention, diabetes, acne and bone thinning

Is anti-rejection the only thing you need to do after transplantation?

This is a both yes and no. After an organ transplant you have to take your anti-rejection drug daily to prevent your body from rejecting the new organ. However, after 6 months to a year, the anti-rejection drug doses are generally lowered and this will also make the side effect lowered. It is also recommended that you exercise and adopt to a healthy diet and lifestyle. Lastly, you should go to the doctors for check ups and vaccination.

Reference:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/life-after-transplant-tips-managing-health

http://www.cpmc.org/advanced/kidney/news/newsletter/kidneytransplant_medication_sideeffects.html

Chapter 1. Introduction

What is organ transplantation?

An organ transplant is an operation that involve moving an organ
from a donor organism to the recipient organism. You would want to do an organ transplant when you have a failing organ or an organ has stopped working and is in need of a replacement organ in order to survive.

What kind of organs are commonly transplanted?

• Kidney 
• Liver
• Heart
• Pancreas
• Lung
• Intestine

How do you prepare for an organ transplant?

Before anything is done, you need to have blood and tissue tested to make sure that eveything matches with the donor. This is because of your immune system. If your immune system detects that the new organ as foreign and will reject it. 

What happens after an organ transplant?

After an organ transplant, you may feel better than ever. What you are capable of doing physically and mentally depends on what kind of organ transplant you did. You do however need to take anti-rejection medication for the rest of your life to prevent the immune system from rejecting the new organ. You will also be required to do regular check ups and blood test to see if the new organ is functioning properly. Because of the anti-rejection drug, your immune system is weaken and you have to stay away from people who maybe sick.

Who can and can not be on the organ transplant list?

• You must get a referral from your physician in order to be on the transplant list.
• Many transplant center will not accept anyone who does not have insurance
• Some transplant center will not accept patients with mental retardation, HIV, history of addiction and people with criminal record
• Transplant center will reject anyone who is at the age of 75 and up
• Transplant center do accept illegal aliens but usually are only children. 

How long does it usually take to get an organ if accepted into the list?

Organ	Median national waiting time
Hearts	113 days
Lungs	141 days
Livers	361 days
Kidneys	1,219 days
Pancreas	260 days
Intestine	159 days

Reference:

http://organdonor.gov/about/transplantationprocess.html