The clinical impact of donor-specific antibodies in heart transplantation

Donor-specific antibodies (DSA) are integral to the development of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Chronic AMR is associated with high mortality and an increased risk for cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Anti-donor HLA antibodies are present in 3 –11% of patients at the time of heart transplantation (HTx), with de novo DSA (predominantly anti-HLA class II) developing post-transplant in 10–30% of patients. DSA are associated with lower graft and patient survival after HTx, with one study suggesting a three-fold increase in mortality in pa tients who develop de novo DSA.

Source: Transplantation Reviews - May 8, 2018 Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Markus J. Barten, Uwe Schulz, Andres Beiras-Fernandez, Michael Berchtold-Herz, Udo Boeken, Jens Garbade, Stephan Hirt, Manfred Richter, Arjang Ruhpawar, Tim Sandhaus, Jan Dieter Schmitto, Felix Sch önrath, Rene Schramm, Martin Schweiger, Markus Wilhelm, Tags: Review article Source Type: research