Wednesday 11 March 2015

Cord Blood Banking and its importance

Cord blood bank is a fool proof way of guaranteeing the good health of the baby, its siblings and possibly family members. Cord blood cells or stem cells are the magic cells that ensure future safety against several life threatening diseases.

What are the types of cord blood banks in India?

There are two kinds of cord blood banks–Public and private. Private cord blood banks are the ones where the blood sample which has been collected is kept for the exclusive use of the donor and his family i.e. the donor, its siblings and its family members if they are a match. In the same way, public cord blood banks are the ones where the samples are donated for public use and research purposes. Here, the blood samples can be utilised by anyone who is a match.

What is the procedure of stem cell therapy?

Extraction of cord blood is a very simple and painless method. In this method, the child or the mother is not inconvenienced in any way. The blood sample is extracted from that part of the umbilical cord which is still connected to the placenta. A needle is inserted in the umbilical cord and it does not touch the new born baby at all. It is of utmost importance that the sample is extracted within a few minutes of the baby being born or else the blood starts clotting and becomes useless. After the process of taking the cord blood it has to be immediately transferred to the cord blood bank. It is a facility with a controlled environment. It is monitored round the clock by expert technical staff. Basic requirements for building a cord blood bank is that it should be situated in an area which is not prone to natural disasters and the facility should have adequate measures against fire and such disasters.

What diseases can be cured through cord blood cells?

Cord blood cells have been instrumental in reviving the lives of millions of people across the world. Stem cell treatment has successfully cured patients of more than 80 diseases, some of them life threatening. Many malignant and non-malignant diseases have been treated by stem cell therapy. Some of them are – leukaemia, Autism, anaemia, thalassemia etc.

Importance of cord blood banking

The decision of preserving the baby’s stem cells is a very private decision of the parents. But it is of extreme importance that the parents realise the importance of cord blood banking as this is a once in a life time opportunity. Although, stem cells are also collected from adults but cord blood cells are the best for treatment of several diseases and much more successful too. For young expecting parents it is important to start thinking of umbilical cord banking early as it is important to choose the correct hospital which is able to do the procedure safely. In some of the cord blood banks, there is also the facility of keeping the sample in two places for added safety.

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