The discovery of the benefits of cord blood has made it the most important decision soon-to-be parents need to make. Banking cord blood is advantageous to both the donor and his or her relatives. Here are some reasons why you should think about cord blood storage.
The collection process is easy and does not threaten the well-being either the mother or the newborn child. The fluid is extracted from the fetal end of the umbilical cord. The cord and placenta are taken to the blood cord bank for the final process of extraction. Since the process is done after severing the umbilical cord, it doesn’t pose as a health risk.
Cord blood can be used by people who aren't perfectly matched to the donor. Allogenic procedures involving cord blood have higher success rates than grafts that make use of bone marrow. This increases the possibility of catering to a wider number of people. HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) types refer to the tissue types of both the donor and patient. Bone marrow transplants will require a 6/6 match while cord blood only requires 4/6.
Since cord blood is stored at birth, it is readily available within a week for either the donor or patient. This reduces the waiting time and the hassle of searching for other matches.
Cord blood transplantation poses a lesser risk of causing graft-versus-host reaction. This occurs when the donor is not a good match. The patient’s immune defenses will treat the donor’s stem cells like a foreign body and try to destroy it. People that belong to the same ethnicity have a better chance at matching. The chances for a match are even higher when both people are related.
Due to the strict measures employed in collecting and testing the fluid, there is a lower risk of passing infectious diseases like EBV (Epstein-Barr virus), CMV (Cytomegalovirus), Hepatitis B or C to the patient. CMV is latent but can be fatal once triggered. Thus, banking cord blood is one of the safest ways to save lives.
Tips and comments:
Cord blood banking costs a great deal of money, but it may save your child's life in the future. Parents want nothing but the best for their offspring. Unfortunately, some incidences may threaten their child's quality-of-life. It is essential to have a clean and perfect match to ensure your offspring's safety. Storing cord blood is like having an ace up your sleeve in a poker game.
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