It is imperative for a person who undergoes bone marrow transplant to prevent drug resistance to lead a normal life. Patients who undergo transplant can lead a normal life provided they do not relapse. Often, the relapse happens because of infections, more so in a patient with resistance to drugs.
The Hindu Wellness webinar on Sunday, organised in association with Naruvi Hospitals, Vellore, focused on advancements in bone marrow transplant.
Mammen Chandy, consultant haematologist at Naruvi hospital, detailed the procedure, particularly haematopoietic transplant, to the audience. Any disease of the haematopoietic stem cell - be it leukaemia, lymphoma or platelet or stem cell, can be treated by the haematopoeitic stem cell transplant, Dr. Chandy said.
Jayashree Shankar, head of search, match and transplant services, explained how the Datri Blood Stem Cell Donors registry helped in matching the donor to the recipient. For a patient battling a blood-related disorder, the probability of finding a donor is 25%, and for the rest they must seek unrelated donors.
Datri, a non-profit organisation, has 5.4 lakh registered donors. But in a country with 1.4 billion population, we do not have enough donors, Ms. Shankar said.
So far, only 1,250 blood stem cell donations have been facilitated, she added .She urged people to register to become donors. Anyone aged between 18 and 50 can register.
Sanjay Bhattacharya, senior consultant and microbiologist, Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata, said, “One stays more in hospitals and pays more if there is drug resistance”.
Dr. Chandy endorsed the views of Dr. Bhattacharya that the government should provide safe drinking water, safe disposal of waste, and prevent environment pollution.
