Parents should save the cord blood of the new born babies because of the immense health benefits and potential it carries.
The cord blood cells contain a special kind of cell known as hematopoietic stem cells which can be used for transplants that can cure diseases such as blood disorders, immune deficiencies, metabolic diseases, and some kinds of cancers, experts at Harvard have said.
Cord blood banking
WebMD defines the storage of life saving stem cells of the umbilical cord as cord blood banking.
These stem cells have the ability to regenerate the immune system of an ill person. Usually the umbilical cord is thrown away along with the blood. But saving these and banking them for future use can solve several health complications.
This blood has approximately 10 times more stem cells than bone marrow.
"Stem cells from cord blood rarely carry any infectious diseases and are half as likely to be rejected as adult stem cells," WebMD says.
Why is it important to save these blood?
As per the evidence available, stem cells have worked efficiently to cure few rare and uncommon diseases. The prevalence of these diseases are not so high but their cure lies in stem cells which makes it essential for them to be stored.
"If a family has a known genetic problem that puts them at risk of developing an illness that could be treated with cord blood, then it makes sense to keep it for family use. But if that’s not the case, it makes more sense to donate it, because it’s much more likely to be needed by another family than by the baby’s family," a Harvard report explains.
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“Storing the umbilical cord blood cells is an option given to the couples who are about to deliver. Even though this is not a necessary or mandatory option but since these stem cells are quite assertive in treating a multitude of ailments like blood cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, and certain metabolic & immunodeficiency disorders, one can opt for storing these cells. Currently, various researches are underway whether these can be helpful in treating other disorders,” says Dr. Astha Dayal , Obstetrics & Gynaecology, CK Birla Hospital Gurugram.
Dr Dayal explains the pros and cons of preserving stem cells. “For parents who are about to deliver, these factors play an important role in deciding whether to store the umbilical cord or not, even though there are various advantages and disadvantages. Some of the major advantages include – lower cost, easy to store, and no risk of infection transmission, and using this in future provides a ray of hope for treatment of various types of blood disorders,” she explains.
The only disadvantage may include that the quantity of stem cells retrieved during delivery is comparatively less and may not suffice during the treatment. In some cases, if the same disorder runs in the family, the same genetic makeup of the stem cells may not be effectively useful and may require a different kind of stem cell to treat, Dr Dayal adds.
However, in India, constraints in terms of cost, public banking infrastructure, do not make it viable for many parents to store umbilical cord stem cells. Overall, storing the umbilical cord stem cells is a harmless thing to do, if one finds it affordable/ cost effective, otherwise one is merely throwing away a priceless thing, she says.
