Article Advise

submitted: Aug 25th 2008 | by: RayLam | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 413 | |

Cord blood stem cell transplants have successfully treated many diseases and debilitating conditions. Stem cells harvested from umbilical cord blood of a newborn baby can develop into any type of organ or tissue such as liver, heart and neural cells. They can also repair tissue and organs damaged in strokes and heart attacks.

Research shows that the quality of the stem cells taken from the bone marrow is not as high as that of the umbilical cord blood. Patients who have received a bone marrow transplant are more likely to reject the new addition, which could lead to life threatening situations.

It may take months for the medical team to find a donor with a matching blood composition. With the patients cord blood available, the treatment is not delayed beyond a few days. In case the patients cord blood is not available, public cord blood banks have a vast resource of stem cells, which were donated by new parents. The cord blood banking system is highly computerized and one can search for the matching composition very quickly.

For a successful transplant, the process is relatively complex, but the basics of the process involve typing the blood. Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are markers (actually proteins) that are found in the body's cell. If the markers of a transplant do not match, your body's immune system would consider them foreign, and start destroying the transplanted cells. In other words, the transplant would be rejected, creating bigger problems for the patient. The greater number of protein matches between patient and donor, the greater the chance of success.

Umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant has been proven to treat Lymphoproliferative disease. This illness is a rare condition that affects the immune system and makes the patient unable to fight off common germs. Brothers Blayke and Garrett of Los Angeles, California were born with this life threatening disease. Thanks to a cord blood transplant, both boys are now living normal, healthy lives.

It is important to understand that some types of blood are more common than others, so finding the right match may take some time. Doctors and NMDP will work together to locate possible matches across the globe, but understanding that protein markers are inherited, some matches may be more difficult to locate than others.

Once a match is made, many factors are considered, such as age of the donor, their sex, medical conditions, blood type, and other things. The urgency of the required transplant will also play a factor in this process.

About the Author

Learn more about cord blood bank and get a free report on "Stem Cell Treatment - Uncovered" by visiting http://cordbloodadvice.info, a popular website that provides free cord blood stem cells advice.

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