Medical World Baffled by Teenager’s Ability to Change Blood Type

In what is being described as a medical “miracle” a teenage transplant patient has mystified medical science by spontaneously switching blood types to match her donor's liver. Fifteen year-old Demi Brennan is the first known case in the world to completely accept a donated organ to the extent where her immune system completely altered itself to accommodate her new organ.

Fifteen year-old Demi suffered liver failure and had a liver transplant at the age of nine in 2001. Several months after the transplant, doctors at Westmead Children's Hospital were shocked to discover her blood type had completely changed to match the blood type of her deceased male donor.

On closer inspection, specialists found that stem cells from the donor liver had been able to penetrate her bone marrow, which resulted in a naturally occurring bone marrow transplant. Her doctor, Michael Stormon, said she now has no need to take anti-rejection drugs, which most transplant patients have to take for the remainder of their lives.

"We were stunned, absolutely stunned, and also very puzzled," said Dr Stormon, who reported the case in the New England Journal of Medicine. "Even going through the literature and seeking advice internationally we weren't able to find any other cases like it."

Demi's mother, Kerrie Mills, described it as "miraculous", and Dr Stormon agreed it was "still highly difficult to explain at this stage".

"We're not sure the reasons behind why this has happened but it may be that a complex range of circumstances have aligned to bring it about," he said.

"Now the task is to find out what those are so we can replicate them and allow other transplant patients to has such a complete acceptance."

Scientists are now researching Demi’s case with hopes that they can decipher the science behind the miracle. If they can, their findings will offer hope for thousands by improving treatments and outcomes for other transplant patients in the future.

Posted by Rebecca Sato

Link:
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23101546-5005940,00.html