Issuu on Google+


Bone marrow is a tissue which is indispensable to life, since it is where blood cells and the cells of the immune system are formed. The bone marrow is also where the haematopoietic stem cells are housed. These cells are capable of producing all of the cells of which the blood is comprised: - The white blood cells or leukocytes, which help you fight infection. There are various different types of white blood cells: Myeloid cells (neutrophils, monocytes, basophils, and eosinophils) and lymphoid cells (T and B cells). - The red blood cells or erythrocytes/haematids are responsible for transporting oxygen to the body's tissues and bringing back carbon dioxide from these tissues to the lungs, where it can be expelled. Erythrocytes give your blood its characteristic red colour. - The platelets or thrombocytes contribute to the clotting of blood when a blood vessel is ruptured. Many illnesses are due to the excessive, insufficient, or abnormal production of a certain type of cell derived from stem cells. A bone marrow transplant enables such illnesses to be cured by replacing the defective cells with normal cells from a healthy donor. In the case of many of these illnesses, a transplant is the only treatment option. Stem cells can be retrieved from bone marrow, circulating (peripheral) blood, and the blood in the umbilical cord at birth. In other words, transplants can take the form of bone marrow, peripheral blood, or cord blood. For this reason, when talking about transplants in general terms we use the term haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.


Guide for bone marrow donors