Rette Life: This is how you can become a stem cell donor - typing now!

Rette Life: This is how you can become a stem cell donor - typing now!

In Austria, more than 330,000 people are registered as potential stem cell donors, but the numbers of typing are alarming. On the occasion of the upcoming World Blood Creach on May 28th, the association calls for life - leukemia help Austria for increased typing. Around 300 people get blood cancer annually and urgently need a stem cell donation, but around 10 percent of those affected do not find a compatible donor. The call to typing is aimed primarily at all Austrians between the ages of 17 and 45.

The typing takes place easily and painlessly through a cheek smear. Interested parties can do this either on Austria -wide campaign days or comfortably at home with a free typing set. These sets enable the participants to make their smear themselves and return to the responsible bodies. Further information on the typing campaigns can be found on the websites of the association ( www.gibefuerleben.at ) and the Austrian Red Cross ( wwwelle.at )

urgent need for donors

A total of around 300 people in Austria are waiting for a stem cell donation each year. On average, three people receive the diagnosis of leukemia every day. The likelihood of finding a compatible donor is only 1 to 500,000. However, the transplantation of healthy stem cells can be life -saving and therefore a higher typing rate is of great importance. In Austria, only 3.2 percent of the total population are currently typed, while in Cyprus the typing rate is 22.5 percent and Germany only reaches 12.2 percent.

Last year 178 people from Austria were actually able to donate stem cells, which shows that despite the high registered number of potential donors that are actual donations. The typing itself is usually carried out by a cheek smear, the data of which is pseudonymized in a global stem cell register.

from typing to donation

After typing, the collected data is forwarded to the central bone marrow donor register Germany, where they are stored pseudonymously. If the HLA characteristics with a patient suffered from leukemia, there is an inquiry about the international register. If the agreement is confirmed, further preliminary examinations, such as a blood sample, are carried out by the family doctor. If the transplant center is successful, the donation can finally be prepared.

The need for more typing and the clarification of the stem cell donation are essential. Only through the active participation and the courage of the population to register as a potential donor can many people with blood cancer help.