Types of Rejection

Rejection can be classified by how the immune system attacks the donor lung and the amount of time after transplant that the rejection occurs. 

• Acute Cellular Rejection occurs when your immune T cells directly attack the donor lung tissue. Cellular rejection is more common early on after transplant.
• Antibody-Mediated Rejection may occur where the recipient's B cells produce antibodies that attack the donor lung. These antibodies (called "donor-specific antibodies" or "DSA”) that develop in patients can be detected by blood tests. 

Both of these types of rejection need to be diagnosed by a combination of clinical assessment through symptoms and signs, blood tests, testing such as spirometry, X-ray imaging, and CT scans.