Synopsis
Rash develops 2-3 weeks after allogeneic transplant
Characteristic histologic changes develop 3-6 weeks after transplant
Primary targets
- Skin 90% (cutaneous acute GVHD)
- Liver 40-60% (hepatic acute GVHD)
- GI tract 30-50% (digestive acute GVHD)
Early recognition of GVHD and prompt intervention improves outcome
Advanced GVHD easy to diagnose but mortality can be 50%
Poor correlation between pathologic features and clinical definition of acute vs. chronic
See also
graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)