Azathioprine facts for kids

Azathioprine is a special kind of medicine. It helps stop your body's defense system, called the immune system, from attacking healthy parts of your own body. This type of medicine is known as an immunosuppressant.

It is often used when someone gets a new organ from another person, like a kidney transplant. The medicine helps make sure the body accepts the new organ and doesn't try to reject it.

What is Azathioprine Used For?

Azathioprine is a very important medicine for people who have received an organ transplant. When a person gets a new organ, their immune system might see it as something foreign. It could then try to attack and destroy the new organ. This is called rejection.

Helping New Organs Stay Safe

To prevent rejection, doctors give patients medicines like Azathioprine. This medicine helps to calm down the immune system. It makes the immune system less likely to attack the new organ. This way, the new organ can work well and help the person live a healthier life.

Other Uses for Azathioprine

Besides organ transplants, Azathioprine can also help people with certain autoimmune diseases. In these diseases, the immune system mistakenly attacks parts of the body. Azathioprine can help reduce this attack. It helps to keep the immune system from causing harm to the body's own tissues.

How Does Azathioprine Work?

Azathioprine works by slowing down the growth of certain cells in your body. These cells are important for your immune system. By slowing them down, the medicine makes your immune system less active. This helps to stop it from attacking new organs or your own body.

A Prodrug's Journey

Azathioprine is a "prodrug." This means it's not active when you first take it. Your body has to change it into its active form. Once it's changed, it can then start to do its job. It works by interfering with how cells make their DNA. This stops immune cells from multiplying too much.

Important Facts About Azathioprine

Azathioprine has been used for many years. It has helped countless people who needed organ transplants or suffered from autoimmune diseases. Doctors carefully watch patients who take this medicine. They make sure the medicine is working well and that the patient stays healthy.

Taking the Medicine Safely

Like all medicines, Azathioprine must be taken exactly as the doctor says. It is a powerful medicine. It helps people live better lives. But it also needs careful handling and monitoring by medical professionals.

See also

In Spanish: Azatioprina para niños