posttransfusion graft-versus-host disease

posttransfusion graft-versus-host disease

A condition similar or identical to post-operative erythroderma, seen in immunocompetent blood recipients; PT-GVHD may result from engraftment of donor T cells in transfused blood products, which mount an immune attack against host tissues; PT-GVHD occurs when the donor is homozygous, and the recipient heterozygous for certain HLA antigens Clinical High fever, dermatitis, severe diarrhea, liver dysfunction, pancytopenia Diagnosis Analysis of RFLPs and/or DNA probes is either uninformative and/or cumbersome; PCR amplification of polymorphic micro-satellite markers followed by gel electrophoresis can be used to identify Pts at risk for PT-GVHD DiffDx Drug reactions, toxic shock syndrome, viral infections.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.