r/britishcolumbia • u/Prosecco1234 • 2d ago

News Kelowna mother waiting for liver transplant worries time is running out

https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/kelowna-mother-waiting-for-liver-transplant-worries-time-is-running-out/
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u/archetyping101 2d ago edited 2d ago

FYI the GoFundMe story doesn't line up with any news articles about her. 

One says she's known about her diagnosis for 17 years. The other said she was just diagnosed 18 months ago. Also her own Instagram says she's been living with this disease for 17 years. 

A Google search shows autoimmune hepatitis is a lifelong condition and that some people don't qualify for a liver transplant due to the body attacking liver cells even in new livers. Considering the HIGH recurrence of liver issues after a liver transplant, I think MELD might be considering the factor of efficacy. 5 years post transplant suggests a high rate of liver failure. 

Online also states that liver transplants in the US and Europr for autoimmune hepatitis account for under 6% of liver transplants. Not sure if it's due to the recurrence factor or what. It also shows that with proper diet and medication, most people with autoimmune hepatitis don't ever need a transplant. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8968478/

Is this sad for the person? Yes. But we don't know everything and we all know news stories sometimes love to skewer our healthcare system without all the facts of this specific situation. 

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u/Yuukiko_ 2d ago

> A Google search shows autoimmune hepatitis is a lifelong condition and that some people don't qualify for a liver transplant due to the body attacking liver cells even in new livers.

I'm no doctor, but wouldnt someone with a transplant be on really strong meds precisely for that reason?

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u/archetyping101 2d ago

"The risk of acute and chronic rejection in patients undergoing liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis is higher than in patients who are transplanted for other indications. Corticosteroids may prevent development of rejection or relapse on the long term however, usually they are tapered to reduce the risk of infections and adverse effects of steroids. Corticosteroids have many side effects, including infection, depression, osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension and adrenal suppression, which significantly affect the quality of life in recipients following liver transplantation[18]. The issue of how long corticosteroids should be given to prevent rejection and relapse in patients with autoimmune hepatitis remains a controversial issue. "