Acute Graft Versus Host Disease After Kidney-Pancreas Transplant

Acute graft vs. host disease (aGVHD) results from newly transplanted donor immune cells recognizing recipient tissues as foreign, leading to end-organ damage. Diagnosing aGVHD typically involves a combination of clinical evaluation, histological examination, laboratory tests, and imaging studies. Although typically associated with allogeneic stem cells transplant and less frequently with liver or small bowel transplants, solid organ transplant GVHD (SOT-GVHD) associated with kidney-pancreas transplants is exceedingly rare. Our patient presented with pancytopenia unexplained by typical causes. He developed classical aGVHD findings of fever, diarrhea, rash, and abnormal liver tests. Our case underscores the importance of keeping a broad differential when evaluating solid organ transplant patients.

Automated summary

Acute graft vs. host disease (aGVHD) is caused by newly transplanted donor immune cells recognizing recipient tissues as foreign, resulting in organ damage. Diagnosis involves a combination of clinical evaluation, histological examination, laboratory tests, and imaging studies. Solid organ transplant GVHD (SOT-GVHD) associated with kidney-pancreas transplants is extremely rare. Our case highlights the importance of considering a broad range of differential diagnoses when evaluating solid organ transplant patients.