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Transplanting A Nut Allergy
Gavinsblog writes "New Scientist is reporting that a man who received a liver transplant from a donor who died of anaphylactic shock, went on to develop a life-threatening nut allergy himself. The man had no history of a nut allergy suffered an anaphylactic reaction to a cashew nut 25 days after receiving the liver. Should the liver have read 'Warning: may contain traces of nut'?"
I officially nominate this article for the next 'funniest headline' poll.
And no, he hasn't had any major transplants or transfusions lately. It just... happened. The doctors have no idea, either, partially since it doesn't run in his family.
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> Should the liver have read 'Warning: may contain traces of nut'?
No, it should have read: 'Warning: may make you allergic to nutz'
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2. The liver produces complex proteins from amino acids. It wouldn't be uncommon for the transplanted liver to produce IgE (immunoglobulin E) which, if I remember correctly, is what causes the reaction that causes anaphylactic shock (fancy term for bad allergic reaction).
They're getting more common, too. The number of notes posted at our kid's daycare are unbelievable. Nuts are one of the most dramatic, but some kids seem sensitized to *everything* (nuts, milk, wheat ....)
A lot of these allergies just go away with time. Others are adult-onset.
The article writer misstated the source of the allergy -- it wasn't that the liver has nut-based residue, but that it has traces of the donor's nut sensitivity.
It would be interesting to see if the reaction goes away as the IgE is flushed out of the donated liver, or if it is a new learned response in the recipient.
It is hard to tell from one or two cases, since adult onset nut allergies are not uncommon. It could be a complete coincidence that the man got an allergy to the same thing that killed the donor. But the large amounts of IgE that would be in the liver of someone who died of anaphylaxis could be causing a temporary allergic response to nuts.
I would have thought that the immuno-suppressants needed to prevent rejection would have lowered the susceptibility to allergens. Perhaps the new drugs are more targetted these days. Or maybe the combination of immune-system altering drugs and the IgE from the liver caused the problem in the first place.
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When I die and my organs are transplanted into people, the recipients will all have to have notices tatooed on them:
Caution: contains traces of nut.
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I don't know if it would classify as an allergy, but I'd certainly have a strong sensitivity to having a nut transplant.
I once bought a second hand straitjacket .... on the lable it said "May contain traces of nut".
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Duh!A little planning goes a long way...
If you transplant the lungs of an asthmatic into another person, they will then have asthma for the rest of their life. My UK donor card doesn't have "lungs" ticked, for that reason.
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Nut allergies are one of the most common allergies. I have been deathly allergic to nuts all my life and have had 3 hospitalization incidents. From what I have learned children are increasingly becoming deathly allergic to them. Most food products now have to put a warning if the product is made with nuts or the machine that produces it also handles nuts. I feel bad for those kids, I am in my 30's and it sucks having to make sure everything you eat isn't made with or fried with nuts or nut oil. But this thread is somewhat humorous.
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I guess this seems a little redundant, but think of it. Person with no nut allergies gets the liver of a person with nut allergies, develops allergies himself. Perrhaps then we can use that ideal to figure that there is something in the liver that triggers the allergic reactions above and beyond the enzymes that cause the reactions unto themselves and thereby having the body turn against itself.
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Should the liver have read 'Warning: may contain traces of nut'?
Maybe we could tattoo, "Warning: nut contains traces of liver" on the guy's forehead instead?
!#@%*)anks for hanging up the phone, dear.
Nut allergies are even newer - and extremly life threatening. It is fascinating that in this case the IgA was transplanted with the liver, but how do all the other people become allergic????
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Do you drink milk?
I'm wondering if there is a link. Eat casein and you produce histamines. Histamines result in mucus.
Mucus makes breathing difficult.
Milk consumption might trigger other allergies.