Risks from the donated bowel

Find out what factors can affect the health of a donated bowel

Key points

All donated organs carry some risk, but this is generally lower than the risk of continuing intravenous feeding
It is possible for diseases to be passed to you through the donated bowel
Donor-related factors might affect how well the transplant works

All donated kidneys carry some risk

All donated organs carry some risk, but this is generally lower than the risk of continuing intravenous feeding.

However, it is important to know that many factors can affect how well the transplant works.

Factors that can affect the health of a donated bowel

The age of your donor

In general, bowels from younger donors tend to work better than bowels from older donors. This is because they are less likely to have chronic health conditions.

However, deceased donors in the UK are becoming older. It is rare to have a bowel transplant from a donor aged over 55 years, but this will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Although donor age is important, other donor factors need to be considered. Focusing on donor age alone can be misleading. In some cases, it may still be better to have a transplant from an older donor than to stay on the transplant waiting list.

Disease or serious illness

It is possible for donated bowels to pass on diseases such as infections or cancers. It is very rare that serious diseases are passed on (less than a 1 in 1,000 chance). Unfortunately, no test can completely remove the risk of passing on a disease with a transplanted organ.

All donors are carefully assessed and screened for the presence of serious infections such as HIV and viral hepatitis. 

Bowels from some donors with a history of hepatitis infection (B or C) might be suitable for transplantation. You will be informed if the donor has a history of hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection and what needs to be done to monitor or treat the infection.

Viral infections

Some viral infections are very common in otherwise healthy people, including organ donors, and are unlikely to cause problems in the recipient.

An example of this common type of viral infection is cytomegalovirus (CMV). You will be given tablets that can successfully prevent CMV infection if there is a risk of it being passed on from the donor to the recipient.

Learn about the risk of infection

Cancer

A bowel transplant from a donor with a history of cancer could risk transmitting the cancer to you. This depends on the tumour type and the time interval after treatment of the tumour. There are nationally agreed guidelines, which outline when an organ should not be used.

In some cases, the risk of tumour transmission from a donor may not be straightforward and may need to be considered individually. This means weighing up the risks versus benefits for you.

Your transplant team will discuss this with you in detail.

What happens if your donor is found to have health issues?

Your bowel transplant team will tell you if there are significant concerns about the donor’s previous health or lifestyle that may lead to risks for you. You will be told how this might affect your health and how well a transplanted organ or organs from this donor might work.

What do you need to know about your donor?