myGVHDteam

What is the risk of GVHD with a 22-year-old daughter donating bone marrow to a 12-year-old recipient with a perfect HLA match?

With a 12/12 HLA match (a perfect match), the risk of developing GVHD is significantly lower compared to mismatched transplants. However, even with a perfect match, GVHD can still occur because of Show Full Answer

What is the risk of GVHD with a 22-year-old daughter donating bone marrow to a 12-year-old recipient with a perfect HLA match?

With a 12/12 HLA match (a perfect match), the risk of developing GVHD is significantly lower compared to mismatched transplants. However, even with a perfect match, GVHD can still occur because of minor differences in other immune system proteins.

In people who receive a stem cell transplant with HLA-matched donor cells from a sibling, up to 50 percent may develop acute GVHD. For chronic GVHD, between 40 percent and 70 percent of all transplant recipients may develop it, though most cases are mild to moderate.

Several factors work in favor of this specific scenario:

- The donor is a close blood relative (parent or sibling matches are ideal since HLA proteins are inherited from parents)
- It's a perfect 12/12 HLA match
- The cells are coming from bone marrow rather than peripheral blood, which carries a lower GVHD risk
- The donor is relatively young (younger donors generally carry lower risk)

One consideration is that the daughter is female. If she has ever been pregnant, this could slightly increase the risk. However, given her age, this is less likely to be a factor.

Your healthcare team will use immunosuppressive medications before and after the transplant to further reduce GVHD risk.

 AI-generated responses are not a substitute for medical advice. These services are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition or disease. Always ask your doctor about specific health concerns.

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