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Transplanting A Nut Allergy

Posted by timothy on from the sign-here-please dept.

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'?"

5 of 31 comments (clear)

  1. Nut allergies can be sudden and unexpected by Blkdeath · · Score: 5, Interesting
    A friend of mine was recently in hospital for extreme bloating, cramping, shortness of breath, nausea, and all sorts of other uncomfortable symptoms. The cause? A nut allergy. He's been a nut lover for all his life (atleast 30-40 years' worth of adulthood, anyways), often sitting down to a beer and a can of nuts in the evening and never encountered a problem before. But now it's potentially life-threatening if he consumes even trace amounts of almost any nut.

    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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  2. Not that suprising by one9nine · · Score: 4, Informative
    1. The liver is the most bad ass organ in all the land (aside from the brain), responsible for over 500 bodily functions.

    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).

    1. Re:Not that suprising by one9nine · · Score: 4, Funny
      That's gives me a good poll idea:

      Most bad ass organ in all the land?
      o Brain
      o Heart
      o Liver
      o Kidney
      o Skin
      o CowboyNeal's flacid organ

  3. When I die... by Simon+Field · · Score: 4, Funny


    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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  4. Don't know if it's an allergy... by Quaelin+PoD · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't know if it would classify as an allergy, but I'd certainly have a strong sensitivity to having a nut transplant.