Question

Why are the skin and intestinal tract the major sites for graft-versus-host disease?

Answer 1

A frequent complication of HSCT is acute GVHD, in which a condition raised that immune cells from the donor attack healthy recipient tissues. Skin nad intestinal tract are the major sites that affected by acute GVHD and severe manifestation of acute GVHD of the gut portends a poor prognosis in patients after HSCT. Skin and the GI tract site increases the translocation of inflammatory stimuli such as endotoxin, which promotes further inflammation and additional damage. Therefore this is critical for the propagation of the cytokine storm characteristics of acute GVHD disease. Skin and GI tract fortification of the mucosal barrier through novel cutyokine shields such as keratinocytes growth factors.

GVHD happens when particular types of T cells in the donated bone marrow and stem cells attack on body cells. This happens because donated cells can see body cells of the host as foreign and attack them. It can be mild to severe and can be long lasting and debilitating. The cumulative incidence of GI acute GVHD might be as high as 60% . Dysfunction in receipient antigen-presenting cells also influences immune activation in acute GVHD .