Learn how to be a bone marrow donor and how is the procedure

Bone marrow donation consists of removing a small sample of cells from the hip bone or bone located in the middle of the chest, the sternum, which are responsible for the production of blood cells, which are then used in bone marrow transplants. bone for the treatment of certain blood diseases such as leukemia and some types of cancer such as lymphoma and myeloma, which in some cases may represent a cure for some of these diseases.

Bone marrow donation can be made by any healthy person, between 18 and 65 years old and weighing more than 50 kg. In addition, the donor must not have blood-borne diseases such as AIDS, Hepatitis, Malaria or Zika for example, or others such as rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis B or C, kidney or heart disease, type 1 diabetes or a history of cancer like leukemia, for example.

How to become a donor

To become a bone marrow donor, it is necessary to register at the blood center of your state and then schedule a blood collection at the center so that a small sample of 5 to 10 ml of blood is collected, which must be analyzed and the results placed in a specific database.

After that, the donor can be called at any time, but it is known that the probability that a patient will find a bone marrow donor other than a family is very low, so it is essential that the marrow database is as complete as possible. possible.

Whenever a patient needs a bone marrow transplant, it is first checked in the family if there is someone compatible to make the donation, and only in cases where there are no compatible family members will another database be searched for in this database.

When I can't donate bone marrow

Some situations that can prevent bone marrow donation, for periods varying between 12 hours and 12 months, such as:

Common cold, flu, diarrhea, fever, vomiting, tooth extraction or infections: prevents donation within the next 7 days; Pregnancy, normal birth, by cesarean or abortion: prevents donation between 6 to 12 months; Endoscopy, colonoscopy or rhinoscopy: prevents donation between 4 to 6 months; risk situations for sexually transmitted diseases such as multiple sexual partners or drug use for example: prevents donation for 12 months; getting a tattoo, putting on a piercing or performing any treatment acupuncture or mesotherapy: prevents donation for 4 months.

These are just a few situations that can prevent bone marrow donation, and the restrictions are the same for blood donation. See when you can't donate blood in Who can donate blood.

How bone marrow donation is done

Bone marrow donation is usually done through a small surgical procedure that does not hurt, as general or epidural anesthesia is used, in which several injections are given in the hip bone to remove the cells that produce blood. This procedure lasts approximately 90 minutes, and in the three days following the intervention, there may be pain or discomfort in the area that can be relieved with the use of analgesic drugs.

In addition, there is another less common way of donating bone marrow, which is done through a procedure called apheresis, in which a machine is used that separates the marrow cells needed for transplantation from the blood. This procedure lasts approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, and its performance involves taking medications that stimulate the production of cells in the bone marrow.

Does bone marrow donation have risks?

Bone marrow donation has risks, as there is always the possibility of making a reaction to anesthesia or some reaction due to the volume of blood removed. However, the risks are minimal and the complications that can arise can be easily controlled by the doctors who perform the procedure.

How is recovery after donation

During recovery after surgery for bone marrow donation, some slightly unpleasant symptoms such as back or hip pain or discomfort, excessive tiredness, sore throat, muscle pain, insomnia, headache, dizziness or loss of appetite may appear, which although normal can cause discomfort.

However, these unpleasant symptoms can be easily minimized with simple care, such as:

Avoid making efforts and try to get plenty of rest, especially during the first 3 days after donation; Maintain a balanced diet and eat every 3 hours if possible; Increase the consumption of foods with healing properties such as milk, yogurt, orange and pineapple and drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day. See other foods with post-operative benefits in Healing foods.

In addition, after making a bone marrow donation, it is not necessary to change your daily habits, you should only avoid efforts and physical exercise in the first days after the donation. Generally, at the end of a week, there are no symptoms, and it is possible at the end of that time to return to practicing all normal daily activities.