Why Is Cord Blood So Important?
Formerly considered medical waste, cord blood can be a lifeline for a child, sibling, family member or compatible stranger. Present in the umbilical cord are stem cells, a blank slate capable of developing into other types of needed cells.
Other People Are Reading
-
Stem Cells
-
Umbilical cord blood contains stem cells. Stem cells produce blood cells like platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells.
-
Compatibility
-
Stems cells are 100 percent compatible with the donor child.
Availability
-
Cord blood is more readily available in case of a needed transplant.
Diseases Treated
-
Umbilical cord blood may be used to treat many diseases including sickle cell anemia, acute lymphoblastic anemia and Hunter Syndrome.
Graft Versus Host Disease
-
There's a lower chance a cord blood recipient will develop graft versus host disease, a deadly condition where the donor's cells attack the recipient's cells.
Considerations
-
According to the March of Dimes, if you bank your child's stem cells, there's an one in 2,700 chance the she will actually need them.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit "Blood Cells" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Andrew Mason (Andrew Mason) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
