SCIENTIA.

Organ transplantations are major operations that should only be offered when all other treatment options have failed. Consequently, it is often a life-saving intervention. Transplantation occurs when an organ system fails or becomes damaged as a consequence of disease or injury. The damaged organ be replaced with a healthy organ or tissue from a donor. The Immune system’s function is to detect harmful substances, which they find through spotting antigens. Antigens pose a significant barrier to successful transplantation because if the immune system detects these antigens and attacks the foreign substance, the transplanted organ or tissue will ultimately be destroyed. The small pool of eligible donors can make it difficult to find a donor-recipient match, so there is often a degree of rejection against the transplant. Moreover, this critical undersupply of donated organs means that waiting lists for transplants are extremely long, and individuals who need organ transplants may not always receive them. So what preventative measures should be taken to reduce the risk of rejection? First, we should explore the causes of organ rejection.

Image source:  https://healthmatters.nyp.org/taking-steps-to-solve-the-organ-transplant-crisis/