Psychogenic factors in kidney transplant rejection: a case study

The author examines the influence of psychic factors on kidney transplant rejection in a patient who suffered emotional trauma. As an adolescent, this man had reacted to the death of his father with an incomplete mourning response and had coped with the loss through identification and a search for surrogates. The death of a paternal surrogate immediately preceded the transplant rejection. The author emphasizes that the establishment of a causal relationship between a somatic event and a psychic antecedent is facilitated by demonstrating that a latent conflict has been evoked symbolically by an external event. Further research into such correlations could significantly enhance our understanding of disease processes.