What types of transplants are there?

Transplants are very necessary. Thanks to them, many lives are saved and today there are many transplants, many of which we may not even know about.

There are many types of transplants that are performed that are unknown to us. We believe that when an organ transplant is performed, there are usually two patients: a donor and a recipient. However, today we are going to go much further.

Before delving into the types of transplants, it is necessary to mention the importance that these have in saving life. Although, sometimes, there are a series of problems such as the body rejecting the new organ, the truth is that in general there are usually very good results.

You don’t have to die to donate an organ. A person who needs a kidney, we can provide one of ours if we are compatible. In the case of other organs, it is an essential condition to have died in order to donate them.

Types of transplants

Next, we are going to see the different types of transplants that are done and under what conditions they can be performed. We will provide some examples and find that not all transplants are done the same way. Let’s go there!

1. Auto transplantation

The first of the types of transplants that we are going to talk about is auto transplantation. That is, we ourselves will be the person in charge of providing us with what we need. However, in which cases is this possible? Doesn’t it always have to be someone else who donates what we need? Not always. In the event that we need a piece of skin from another part of the body, we ourselves will be the donor and the recipient. The same happens, sometimes, when we self-donate bone marrow if we have cancer.

This form of transplantation is very safe, but above all, there is the advantage that our body will not reject the donor because we will be ourselves. This leaves us with one more concern.

2. Is transplantation

This type of transplant has nothing to do with the previous one. In this case, the donor and recipient are different, although genetically they are the same. What does this mean? Possessing the same genetic makeup, therefore, they are twins.

Surely, we have ever seen two twin brothers on television, one of them has a disease and the other donates what the brother needs to save his life. Being twins, the chance that the donated organ will be rejected is drastically reduced.

There is always the possibility that the body ends up rejecting the organ and that it does not manage to seat it well. However, this is a very small percentage and it is not something that usually happens.

3. Allotransplantation

In this third of the types of transplantation we find a totally different donor and recipient. They do not share genetics. They are not from the same family. This is the type of transplant that is best known and the one that carries the most risks.

Why do we talk about risks? Because a comprehensive study must be carried out on the compatibility between donor and recipient. However, even though everything indicates that they are compatible and there should be no problems, sometimes this is not solved so easily.

4. Xenotransplantation

The last of the types of transplantation that we are going to talk about not only refers to two genetically different individuals, but also in relation to the species. Perhaps this is the least known type of transplant of all.

For example, if we need to transplant a heart valve and, for some reason, there is no compatible one or we do not have one that comes from a human being, we can obtain it from the donation of a pig. However, the risks of rejection are quite high.

The importance of donating

We currently have many options for donating, including donating blood. However, when we die, we can also decide earlier if we want our organs to be donated or not to people who may need them.

As we have seen in the types of transplants, perhaps the one we know best is the third. People who do not know each other, anonymous organs but who arrive at the moment we need them most. Many people wait, for example, for a kidney. The fact that people donate them or that even a family member gets a compatibility test and undergoes an operation is something very valuable.

Which of the types of transplants we’ve seen sound the most? Surely it is the third party that first comes to mind when you think about a transplant. However, now you know that there are three more types.

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