Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD): Symptoms & Signs

Medically Reviewed on 6/13/2020

Graft versus host disease (GVHD) is a condition that occurs in people who have received stem cell or organ transplants.

GVHD occurs in both acute and chronic (long-term) forms. Signs and symptoms of acute GVHD include

In chronic GVHD, the symptoms and signs can include

Causes of graft versus host disease (GVHD)

It is caused by a reaction in which immune cells present in donor tissue (the graft) attack the host's own tissues. GVHD is a complication after bone marrow transplantation (stem cell transplants) from both related and unrelated donors.

Other graft versus host disease symptoms and signs

References
Jameson, J. Larry, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 20th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2018.