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Prophylaxis and treatment of gastrointestinal complications following transplantation
Author(s) -
Helderman J Harold
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
clinical transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1399-0012
pISSN - 0902-0063
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2001.00029.x
Subject(s) - medicine , immunosuppression , complication , intensive care medicine , transplantation , limiting , organ transplantation , surgery , toxicity , mechanical engineering , engineering
Most transplant recipients will experience some type of gastrointestinal (GI) complication. These effects often are caused by infectious damage induced by a variety of opportunistic organisms, but they also may be due to mechanical injury during surgery or to metabolic or organ toxicity associated with immunosuppressive regimens. Although some of these GI complications can substantially impair quality of life or even carry significant mortality risk, many of them can be prevented, and most of them can be treated medically without the need to stop immunosuppression and expose the patient to the risk of rejection. Limiting the use of steroids, giving prophylactic antiviral and antifungal agents (particularly to patients at risk) and adopting a low threshold for endoscopy are among the most important measures that can be used to avoid GI complications after transplantation.