In addition to HIV tests, all organ donors in Brazil are subjected to a series of other tests, which are mandatory according to the legislation of the National Transplant System, linked to the Unified Health System (SUS). The objective is to ensure the safety of patients who receive the organs.
According to current legislation, tests must be carried out, for example, for HIV, HTLV — human T-cell lymphotropic virus, which is the first human retrovirus that can cause cancer —, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Chagas disease, in addition to typing ABO blood count, complete blood count, among others. The complete list and more information are on the National Transplant System website.
Only after all the exams and after the donor is considered suitable are the organs transplanted into patients who wait in line for organs that can provide a better quality of life and allow them to see again, for example, in the case of corneal transplants. , or that will help them to continue living.
“The potential donor must undergo certain tests to detect whether there is a risk of transmitting any disease through the organs to be donated”, says infectious disease specialist Raquel Stucchi, member of the Transplant Infection Committee, of the Associação Brasileira Transplante Órgãos. “And we have to have these results in a timely manner so that we can then proceed with the donation.”
Transplant doctor, Raquel is part of the liver transplant group at the Hospital de Clínicas of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) and says she received the information about HIV infections in transplant patients in Rio de Janeiro with perplexity.
“It’s something we never imagined could happen. It’s something that never happened. This occurrence is unprecedented and it is very serious”, he states. The doctor emphasizes, however, that she considers this an isolated case, which is being investigated by the police and does not impact the security of the entire system.
Raquel Stucchi explains that the presence of HIV in the donor’s body is one of the only factors that, in Brazil, prevent the donation of organs that are still ready to be donated. HTLV seropositivity is also another deterrent, as is active tuberculosis.
“We never expected this to happen, because the transplant system, as a whole, is governed by rules, by very strict standards, mainly valuing the safety of the patient being transplanted. And the entire team too, but particularly the patient who is being transplanted. So, we were also outraged, and it was something that was specific to Rio de Janeiro”, he says.
The case shed light on what is the largest public organ, tissue and cell transplant program in the world. According to data from the Ministry of Health, the National Transplant System is responsible for financing around 88% of transplants in the country. In 2023 alone, 28,533 transplants were performed.
The queues, however, are still long. Across the country, 44,816 people are waiting for an organ transplant. The majority, 41,423, are in line for a kidney. The liver appears in second place, with a queue of 2,321 people, followed by the heart, with 436. São Paulo is the state with the highest number of people awaiting a transplant, 21,601. Rio de Janeiro appears in fifth place, with 2,157 people on the waiting list.
“For those who donate or think about being a donor, donating is extremely important”, says Raquel Stucchi. “It is important to be able to save the lives of people who have this expectation and have transplantation as the only treatment option”, he highlights.
Those who have been transplanted and are in some way unsure due to the case in Rio de Janeiro should seek out health centers, where they will receive the necessary guidance.
“We fully understand that transplant patients have some doubts about what happened. So, look for your teams, the center where you were transplanted, to get your questions answered. They can even repeat the tests, no one will deny that, under any circumstances”, says the doctor, who assures: “it is a unique and isolated case”.
See also: Doctor explains how transplants work in Brazil
This content was originally published in Battery of donor exams is a guarantee of safety in transplants on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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