Together against blood cancer: will live stem cell donors and savings!

Together against blood cancer: will live stem cell donors and savings!

Österreich - More and more people in Austria are committed to combating blood cancer. A clear sign for this is the increase in stem cell types from 3.2% to 3.6% last year, report 5min.at. Over 330,000 Austrians are already registered as a potential stem cell donor. Nevertheless, the need is enormous: around 300 people in Austria are waiting for a stem cell donation every year. No suitable donors can be found in around 10% of the sick.

In Germany, the proportion of typed people is over 12%, which shows that there is still a lot of potential in Austria to improve. On the occasion of the World Blood Creach on May 28th

prerequisites and procedures for stem cell donation

In order to be considered as a stem cell donor, interested parties should meet some requirements. This includes an age between the ages of 18 and 35, the absence of serious illnesses, a minimum weight of 50 kg and a maximum body mass index (BMI) of 40. Registration in other stem cell donor files is not permitted. Exclusion criteria are also various serious health impairments, including cardiovascular diseases and infectious diseases.

The typing itself is simply carried out by a pain -free cheek smear or a blood sample, which is a quick and uncomplicated way to register. Interested parties can take part in typing campaigns or request a typing set online. Registration as a stem cell donor is possible up to the age of 35, with younger people often offering better quality of the stem cells.

The process of stem cell donation

The stem cell donation can take place in different ways, depending on the medical requirements of the patient and the selected procedure. The most common method is the peripheral stem cell donation, which is about 80% of all donations. The donor receives growth factors for five days before the stem cells are removed on an outpatient basis. The entire process takes about 4 to 5 hours and does not require anesthesia.

Alternatively, a bone marrow donation can be considered, in which stem cells from the pelvic bone are removed under general anesthesia. The removal lasts about an hour, and the donor usually stays in the hospital for three days. In addition, there is the possibility of the umbilical cord blood donation, which is rarely used, since many parents are not informed about this option.

All registered donors are anonymous, their data is stored in the Austrian stem cell register. If the HLA characteristics matched, the donors are informed and the next steps to remove the stem cell are organized. It is important to emphasize that donors can withdraw from their willingness at any time, but this may result in life -threatening risks for the recipient.

such as [Gesundheits.gv.at] (https://www.gesundheit.gv.at/gesundheits/stammzell Register/information-stammzellspende.html), the costs for the donation measures, including arrival, the loss of earnings and other expenses, are covered by the recipient's health insurance. The registration and typing of the potential stem cell donors are carried by foundations and organizations who are actively asking for donations to maintain their work.

In view of the increasing number of diseases and the associated need for donors, the call to support remains urgent. Further information on the typing and active donation campaigns are on the websites Give for life, redes Kreuz and [Transplant] (https://traplant.goeg.at/spender centers) find.