Conditions
10 pages
The conditions that lead to transplantation: what they are, how they progress, and when a transplant enters the picture.
Acute liver failure
Acute liver failure is the sudden loss of liver function in a previously healthy person, marked by impaired clotting and confusion (hepatic encephalopathy). It is a medical emergency: many recover with intensive care or an antidote given in time, while a minority need an urgent liver transplant.
ReviewedAcute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a fast-growing cancer of blood-forming cells in the bone marrow, causing anaemia, infections and bleeding. Intensive chemotherapy aims at remission; whether a stem cell transplant follows depends on the genetics of the disease and the fitness of the patient.
ReviewedAplastic anaemia
Aplastic anaemia is bone marrow failure: the marrow stops making enough red cells, white cells and platelets, usually because the immune system attacks its stem cells. It is serious but treatable — with immunosuppressive therapy, or a stem cell transplant, often first-line for the young with a matched donor.
ReviewedBeta thalassaemia
Beta thalassaemia is an inherited blood disorder in which too little beta-globin is made. Severe (transfusion-dependent) forms cause profound anaemia from early childhood, managed with lifelong transfusions and iron chelation. A stem cell transplant from a matched donor is the established cure, best done young.
ReviewedChronic hepatitis B
Chronic hepatitis B is a long-term liver infection, usually acquired at birth or in early childhood. Most carriers feel well for decades; in a minority, inflammation leads to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Modern antiviral tablets control the virus effectively, and vaccination prevents infection entirely.
ReviewedDiabetic kidney disease
Diabetic kidney disease is kidney damage caused by long-standing diabetes — the leading link between diabetes and kidney failure worldwide. It develops silently, announced by albumin in the urine and a falling eGFR. Modern drugs can slow or stall it, and for kidney failure a transplant usually beats dialysis.
ReviewedHepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer)
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main primary liver cancer, usually arising in livers scarred by cirrhosis or hepatitis B. Caught early through six-monthly surveillance it is often curable — and within criteria, a liver transplant treats the cancer and the liver disease in one operation.
ReviewedHodgkin lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, typically appearing as painless lymph node swelling in a young adult. It is one of the most curable cancers: modern chemotherapy cures most patients first time, and relapsed disease is often cured by an autologous stem cell transplant.
ReviewedMultiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow, damaging bones, kidneys and blood counts. It is treatable rather than curable for most: modern drug combinations control it for years, and an autologous stem cell transplant remains standard consolidation for eligible patients.
ReviewedPolycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the commonest inherited kidney disease: cysts multiply in both kidneys over decades, squeezing out working tissue. Modern care — including tolvaptan for fast-progressing disease — has changed its course, and transplant outcomes in PKD are among the best.
Reviewed