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Basics
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Summary
You may need an organ transplant if one of your organs has failed. This can happen because of illness or injury. When you have an organ transplant, doctors remove an organ from another person and place it in your body. The organ may come from a living donor or a donor who has died.
The organs that can be transplanted include:
You often have to wait a long time for an organ transplant. Doctors must match donors to recipients to reduce the risk of transplant rejection. Rejection happens when your immune system attacks the new organ. If you have a transplant, you must take drugs the rest of your life to help keep your body from rejecting the new organ.
Living With
- After the Transplant (United Network for Organ Sharing)
- Diet and Exercise (United Network for Organ Sharing)
- Post-transplant Medications (United Network for Organ Sharing)
- Preventing Rejection (United Network for Organ Sharing)
Related Issues
- How Organs Are Matched (United Network for Organ Sharing)
- Xenotransplantation (Food and Drug Administration)
Specifics
- Before the Transplant (United Network for Organ Sharing)
Statistics and Research
- The SRTR/OPTN Annual Data Report (Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients)
- U.S. Transplantation Data (United Network for Organ Sharing)
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Organ Transplantation
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Quadrivalent HPV (4vHPV) vaccine immunogenicity and safety in women using immunosuppressive...
- Article: Identification of Psychosocial Issues in Pediatric Patients Undergoing or Waiting for...
- Article: Pediatric Organ Transplantation and Learning Disabilities: A Systematic Review.
- Organ Transplantation -- see more articles
Reference Desk
- Organ Facts and Surgeries (United Network for Organ Sharing)
Find an Expert
-
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (Health Resources and Services Administration)
Children
- Organ Transplants: What Every Kid Needs to Know (United Network for Organ Sharing) - PDF
Older Adults
-
Organ Donation -- You're Never Too Old to Make a Difference
(National Institute on Aging)
Patient Handouts
- Transplant rejection (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Transplant services (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.