What is the life expectancy of someone with Graft Versus Host Disease?

You can live a normal life, but in a new way

Most people with Graft vs. Host Disease get it under control with the help of GVHD specialists, and then have a normal life expectancy (or as normal as someone has after going through the chemo for transplant). Their quality of life while the chronic GVHD is particularly active may be anywhere from mildly affected to seriously affected. But this depends a lot on the type of GVHD (for example, at this stage, lung and eye GVHD are thought to be irreversible, (although some early research indicates it may be reversible 10 years from now), while scleroderma or skin GVHD and some others are absolutely reversible and in many cases, folks go back to having a high quality of life despite having been through very bad GVHD.

The most important points for patients with cGVHD to remember are:
1. When in doubt about a new symptom, assume it's GVHD, and get it seen as quickly as possible. GVHD behaves like an out of control tornado. If you control it early, it can stay a mild irritant. If you leave it for long, it can become life threatening.
2. Your transplant doctor or team is or are not necessarily GVHD specialists. Seek out the best if you have a serious case of GVHD.