Graft Vs. Host Disease: Graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) is a complication
that is observed after allogeneic stem cell / bone marrow
transplant. GvHD occurs when infection-fighting cells
from the donor recognize the patient’s body as being different
or foreign. These infection-fighting cells then attack
tissues in the patient’s body just as if they were attacking
an infection. The tissues most affected by bone marrow
GvHD are the skin, the liver, and the intestines. GvHD
is categorized as acute when it occurs within the first
100 days after transplantation and chronic if it occurs
more than 100 days after transplantation. John
Hopkin's Oncology Center - GVHD What
is Graft vs. Host Disease? The
Immune System's Response to Transplants Immunologic
Diseases: Graft vs. Host
Transfusion
Associated GvHD: Graft vs. host disease is a rare
complication of blood transfusion. The disease results
from transfusion of immunocompetent T cells capable of
engrafting and initiating an immune response against recipient
antigens. The most susceptible patient groups are those
who are severely immunocompromised. Gamma irradiation
abolishes the proliferative activity of the lymphocytes
in the donor blood. Fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate
do not contain viable lymphocytes and thus do not need
to be irradiated. "It is recommended that patients
with immunodeficiencies such as Di George Syndrome, Wiskott
Aldrich, and SCID receive only irradiated blood products."