Imagine your child is stuck at the bottom of a long transplant waiting list when he or she desperately needs a new liver. The thought is terrifying–and for many, terrifyingly real.
Source: http://www.bing.com/
In this day and age, when both genetic and acquired diseases seem to be on the rise, the need for liver transplants is increasing. The sad fact is that if you end up in one of these situations, you’re in for a tough fight. Because even if a matching donor is found, you’ll have to take a large number of immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of your life so that your body won’t reject the new liver.
We’re talking handfuls of drugs each day, and your life will be dependent upon them. You’ll have to avoid crowds, among other things, for fear of infection because your body’s immune system will be shot. Get the picture? I mean, it’s life, but it’s not something that anyone would want to endure.
Fortunately though, there is a very promising treatment option known as hepatocyte transplantation for people with impaired liver function–including those with tyrosinemia, a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder.
I first read about this in an article by Jessica Wapner which I think is incredibly interesting. While it’s been around for a while (most widely used in Europe and in clinical trials in the US) because safety is big issue, in the last year or so, the procedure is being conducted at larger hospitals with specialty clinics and with some very promising results.
In a nutshell, about 10 percent of a failing liver is replaced by healthy new liver cells; the new liver cells come from a donor who is deceased. The procedure only works for people who have an intact liver structure. And while some immunosuppressant anti-rejection drugs may be required initially, doctors have been able to slowly wean patients off of the drugs.
Seems like this could become THE breakthrough treatment that is widely used and is even more cost effective!
