5 Most Commonly Asked Questions About Cord BloodFebruary 3, 2020
Life is a precious gift, and, just like all precious gifts, it bares fruit of many forms. This is especially true of childbirth. The beginning of life, the start of a new story, and the origin of someone’s existence. During childbirth, there are many important things that happen for many people, but there is one small aspect that is unknown to many people that deserves a bit more attention.
Naturally, I am talking about the potential recovery of cord blood. What is cord blood, though? What should I know about it? Well, in the words below, you will find five important things that you should know about cord blood.
1. What is Cord Blood?
Cord blood or umbilical cord blood is the blood that circulates through the umbilical cord between a baby and the placenta during pregnancy. It is rich in blood stem cells and can be used to treat certain blood cancers and disorders. Cord blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta can be collected and stored after the baby is born and the cord is cut. This precious resource can be useful for a number of reasons that you will find out about below.
2. Why is Cord Blood Precious?
Cord blood can be used in a variety of surprising ways to make real impact on serious ailments. For instance, it can be used to treat certain blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, which is no small feat in any way. This is only possible because cord blood is rich in haematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells (HSCs), which have the ability to differentiate into different types of blood cells in the human body.
3. What Illnesses can be Treated with Cord Blood?
Since the very first cord blood transplant in 1988, cord blood has become a trusted alternative source of stem cells for several treatments. These treatments include various blood cancers and disorders (leukemia, lymphoma), immune deficiencies (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency), and even genetic disorders (Hunter Syndrome, Osteopetrosis). In recent years, clinical trials have been conducted regarding the use of one’s own cord blood for treatment of cerebral palsy, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and even autism. Clearly there is cord blood is worth further investigation.
4. Can Any Patient that Needs a Transplant Find a Match?
Unfortunately, no, over 70% of patients are unable to find a suitable match within their family. Plus, the probability of being able to use one’s own cord blood for treatment of blood cancers and diseases is extremely low. The reason for this being that genetic defects that caused the illness are often already present in the patient’s own cord blood. Threfore, some patients have to rely on adult stem cell registries and public cord blood banks like the SCBB for hope of a match.
5. What are the Options to Conserve Cord Blood?
As with your standard blood, it can be donated to a cord blood bank and will be gratefully accepted. Plus, it can be privately stored in a private cord blood bank. Of course, any donations that are given are graciously appreciated and may just help someone out in their time of need, so it would be a very good thing to consider doing if you have the opportunity.