The spongy tissue inside some of the bones in the body such as the thigh bones and hips bones is known as the bone marrow. The bone marrow contains cells which are immature and are called the stem cells. We need a healthy bone marrow and blood cells in order to live a healthy life. When the bone marrow is affected by diseases and loses its capability to perform well, the bone marrow transplant is the best option.
Here is our list of top ten things you need to know about the Bone Marrow and its transplant.
- Bone marrow stem cells
There are two types of stem cells contained by the bone marrow known as the mesechymal and hematopoietic. These stem cells are immature which turn into a number of other cells such as hematopoietic stem cells which give rise to cells like myeloid and lymphoid lineages. Bone marrow transplant is carried out with the help of these cells.
2 . Yellow bone marrow
Yellow bone marrow is located in central cavities of long bones and is surrounded by the red marrow. The yellow marrow helps in proper functioning of bone, but under severe blood loss or fever it may return to the red bone marrow. It also helps to store the fats.
3 . Red bone marrow
The red bone marrow is responsible for developing the red blood cells and the platelets in human adults and almost 60-70 percent of the lymphocytes. The lymphocytes start their life inside the red bone marrow and are formed to the full length in the lymphatic tissues. Red bone marrow also helps us to remove old red blood cells.
4 . Bone marrow development time
The bone marrow develops in the clavicle in the end of the fetal development. It starts to activate after 7 years because of the need for the continuous blood forming that is high. As we start to age more the red marrow is replace by yellow fat tissue. Most of the red marrow is found in the hips, breastbones, vertebrae, skulls, ribs. All the other bones which are spongy are filled with yellow marrow.
5 . The function of the bone marrow
The red bone marrow is responsible for producing the red blood cells, the very important platelets and our most of the disease fighting white blood cells whereas the yellow bone marrow plays an important job in producing fats, cartilage and bone. The red and white blood cells must be replaced constantly by the bone marrow. All cells like white, red and platelets have different life expectancy. The production of these cells may vary if there is a problem related to blood such as anemia and blood loss. It happens because of lack of oxygen in the blood. The bone marrow produces more white cells to fight infections. So it is important for us to have a healthy bone marrow.
6 . The bone marrow transplants
It can be done for different reasons such as it can replace the non -functioning bone marrow which is generally done in conditions like leukemia, sickle cell anemia, etc. It can also be a replacement of bone marrow for restoring its normal functions. transplants generally happen to replace dysfunctional bone marrow with a good and healthy working bone marrow so that it can protect from further damage. Stem cells are generally used for the bone marrow transplant. A marrow transplant helps the body to rebuild the ability to produce blood cells. The transplant is done when they find a member from the family matching the ill person.
7 . The types of bone marrow transplant
The autologous transplant is the one when the patients receive stem cells from their identical twin. The syngeneic transplant is when the patient can get matching stem cells from their parents or siblings. Whereas 70% of patients who do not have an HLA identical twin donor go under the haploidentical transplantation while the umbilical cord blood is a transplant using the stem cells removed from newborn baby just after its birth, the cells are stored frozen and are used when in need of a transplant.
8 . Tissue type for the bone marrow
A tissue type is defined as the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) which is on the surface of the cells of the human’s body. To make sure the tissue cell is compatible, the doctors find quantity of protein on the surface of the donor and recipient’s blood cells. If matching bone marrow is not found from the family members of the patient, the doctors will try to find a donor with compatible tissue type.
9. The tests before the transplant
Many important steps are needed to be performed before transplanting the bone marrow to avoid any problems that can be a threat in the future such as chest x ray, pulmonary function tests, CT or CAT scans, bone marrow biopsy,, skeletal survey, heart function tests, other blood tests. A whole dental checkup is also done to avoid infectious problems. All sorts of precautionary tests are done so that there is no infectious problem arising after the transplant of the bone more. The doctors are the most careful as any small mistake can lead to a threat on the patient’s life, so they take all the measures important during the process of transplantation of the bone marrow.
10. The risk
There can be early problems due to bone marrow transplant such as infections, graft failure, pulmonary complications, thrombotic microangiopathy, hepatic veno-occlusive disease, graft versus host disease, hemorrhagic cystitis, mucositis. Late problems due to transplant include immune effects , neurologic effects, endocrine effects, chronic GVHD, ocular effects, endocrine effects, congestive heart failure. Major risks also include increased possibility to infections, anemia, graft failure, respiratory problems and flow of excess fluid. Also if there is a mismatch between donor and recipient tissues can lead to a reaction. The transplantation was not recommended for the patients that were aged above fifty due to a higher mortality rate but many centers are successful in performing transplantation on patients above the age of fifty today.
William Henry Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, author, philanthropist, and humanitarian. He is best known as the principal founder of Microsoft Corporation.
