Are you keen on understanding more about bone marrow transplant? If the answer is yes, then it is quite likely that you will find this article interesting and informative. Before we get into some basic understanding of bone marrow transplant, let us understand what bone marrow is and what does it do? Bone marrow is a spongy and soft tissue located inside the hollow of our bones. These tissues are extremely vital and critical because they help in making blood-forming cells and they are also known as blood stem cells. These cells help in turning into different types of blood cells. They include white blood cells that are required to fight infections and also red blood cells. Red blood cells are required to carry oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. They also help in making platelets that are needed to control bleeding and fasten the process of blood clotting. Apart from bone marrow stem cells are also found in the bloodstream and also found in umbilical cord blood.
When Would One Need Bone Marrow Transplant
In the normal course, most of us would not need a bone marrow transplant during our entire life. However, there could be some illnesses and diseases that may lead to the damage and even destruction of the bone marrow and also the stem cells. There are many autoimmune diseases and conditions where we could see the destruction of the bone marrow stem cells by the defense mechanism of our body. This could lead to a situation where our bone marrows stop making stem cells totally or the quantity that is produced is woefully inadequate. Some types of cancers require heavy doses of chemotherapy and also radiation therapy. All this could lead to damage to the bone marrow and over some time, it could lead to the complete or partial destruction of the bone marrow stem cells and the bone marrow tissues.
What Next?
When you have a situation where your bone marrow is partially or damaged, you have no other option but to go in for a bone marrow transplant. Without a transplant, it will lead to a rapid deterioration in the health of the person. This is because his or her body will be deprived of critical white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. If the situation is not corrected and reversed, it will not be long before the patient would die. Hence, in many cases, bone marrow transplant becomes critical and could make all the difference between living and dying.
Which Diseases Does Treat
There are many diseases and medical conditions that can be treated by bone marrow stem cell transplant. These include certain types of blood cancers like lymphoma and leukemia. It also could be used for treating some form of bone marrow diseases like aplastic anemia. People suffering from sickle cell diseases and other such conditions could also get a lot of help when they decide to go in for stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant.
The Final Word
However, the doctor and the medical fraternity who are treating such patients are the best persons to judge whether the patient is a suitable candidate for bone marrow transplant or not. The risks versus benefits are evaluated and only then the doctors decide whether it is worthwhile going through such processes.