The end-stage renal disease
A 34-year-old Hispanic-American male with end-stage renal disease received kidney transplant from a cadaver donor, as no one in his family was a good match. His post-operative course was uneventful, and he was discharged with the antirejection drugs Tacrolimus (Prograf), Cyclosporine (Neoral), and Imuran (Azathioprine). He did well for 3 months and had returned to his job as a policeman. Six months after his transplant, he began to gain weight, had decreased urine output, was very fatigued, and began to run temperatures up to 101˚F. He was evaluated by his nephrologist, who diagnosed acute kidney transplant rejection.
Develop 2 page case study analysis in which you:
Explain why you think the patient presented the symptoms described.
Identify the genes that may be associated with the development of the disease.
Explain the process of immunosuppression and the effect it has on body systems.
Sample Solution
Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice in patients with end-stage renal disease or severe chronic kidney disease as it improves the quality of life and has better survival advantages compared to dialysis. Renal transplant rejection is an immunological response that leads to inflammation with specific pathological changes in the allograft, due to the recipient’s immune system recognizing the non-self (foreign) antigen in the allograft. Rejection occurs when the recipient`s immune system recognizes the donor tissue as foreign (non-self), triggering an immune response. The major histocompatibility complex markers MHC I and MHC II, more specifically identified as human leukocyte antigens (HLAs), play a role in transplant rejection.
