The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)Ⓡ, the leading independent nonprofit organization representing the 25-30 million Americans living with rare diseases, has added a new video to the NORD Rare Disease Video Library, a resource featuring videos on rare diseases and related topics for patients, caregivers, students, professionals and the public.
The topic of the newest video is Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease (PTLD). PTLD is a rare complication of solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant. People who receive these transplants are treated with drugs that suppress the activity of the immune system, leaving them at heightened risk for developing infections and, in some people, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. PTLD can result in a mild, non-cancerous overgrowth of an organ or a cancerous, life-threatening form of lymphoma.
In most instances, PTLD is associated with the Epstein-Barr virus, a common virus that does not usually cause problems in people with normal-functioning immune systems. Following a transplant, when the immune system is suppressed, a dormant Epstein-Barr virus may be reactivated or a new infection with the virus may occur.
While specific signs and symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, PTLD can often have a rapid and severe development, and disease may be widespread throughout the body. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of PTLD is extremely important.
The NORD Rare Disease Video Library resides on the NORD website, www.rarediseases.org, which receives traffic from over 1.3 million visitors per month.
The PTLD video was made possible through an educational grant from Atara Biotherapeutics. NORD is grateful to Atara for their support.