heart transplant rejection

Heart transplant rejection occurs when the recipient's immune system recognizes the new heart as foreign and attempts to attack it. This happens because the body identifies transplanted organs based on their unique proteins, known as antigens. If these antigens differ from the recipient’s own, the immune system may respond aggressively, leading to rejection. There are typically three types of rejection: hyperacute, acute, and chronic. To prevent rejection, recipients take immunosuppressive drugs that weaken the immune response, allowing the body to accept the new heart and reducing the risk of rejection-related complications.