What is graft vs host disease? How do I prevent it?
In graft vs. host disease (GvHD), the donated stem cells you receive during an allogeneic stem cell transplant view your body’s cells as a threat and attack. There are two main types of GvHD: acute GvHD and chronic GvHD. Treatments include drugs that suppress (calm) your immune system.
Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a complication that might occur after an allogeneic transplant. During an allogeneic transplant, your healthcare provider transplants hematopoietic stem cells (immature blood cells) from a donor into your body. The donated stem cells eventually become mature blood cells.
You may need donor stem cells if you have an issue with your blood cells, as with cancers like leukemia or lymphoma, or other bone marrow failure diseases like aplastic anemia.
In GvHD, the donated stem cells (graft) view the recipient’s cells (host) as an unfamiliar threat. As a result, the donated cells attack the recipient’s cells. This is why the disease is called “graft” versus “host.”
So what are the different types of GvHD?
There are two main types of GvHD. Previously, healthcare providers classified GvHD based on when symptoms started. More recently, providers diagnose the specific type of GvHD based on symptoms and clinical signs (like the results of tests or imaging) in addition to the timing of symptom onset.
- Acute graft versus host disease (aGvHD): aGvHD occurs shortly after your transplant, usually within the first 100 days. But symptoms of aGvHD may also start later. aGvHD most often affects your skin, gastrointestinal (GI) tract or liver.
- Chronic graft versus host disease (cGvHD): cGvHD can appear any time after an allogenic transplant, but most cases start within two years. Chronic GvHD might affect your skin, mouth, liver, lungs, GI tract, muscles, joints or genitals.
As an allogeneic transplant recipient, you might experience either form of GvHD, both forms or neither.