GVHD

"Graft Versus Host Disease" (GVHD) - A potential complication of transplants associated with the use of blood or tissue from a different person (allogeneic). In GVHD, the transplanted cells reject the recipient's tissue as foreign and attack the tissue. GVHD in stem cell transplants appears to be less severe with umbilical cord blood, which appears to be more tolerant of the new body's environment. To reduce the risk of GVHD or tissue rejection, HLA testing is required.