BONE MARROW DONOR

To be a voluntary bone marrow donor, you need to be between 18 and 45 years of age, weigh at least 50 kg, not suffer from any chronic or autoimmune diseases and not have received a blood transfusion since 1980. Request more information from the donor centre (Southern, Centre and Northern Histocompatibility Centres) of your region regarding the hospital or health centre to go to.

How can I become a bone marrow donor?

After indicating your intention to become a bone marrow donor, you need to complete a small clinical questionnaire which shall be evaluated by a doctor. If there are no contraindications, you will be called to carry out some exams. If everything is fine, your details will be saved on a national and international database.

Anonymity and confidentiality are rigorously maintained.

What is CEDACE?

CEDACE is the abbreviated designation of the National Centre of Bone Marrow, Stem Cell or Umbilical Cord Blood Donors. In practice, it is the National Register of Voluntary Bone Marrow Cell Donors, created in 1995, with the objective of responding to patients that needed a transplant but had no compatible family relative donor.

What is bone marrow?

Bone marrow is a tissue of soft consistency that fills the interior of the long bones and the spongy cavities of bones, such as for example those of the pelvis.

It is in this tissue that progenitor cells are found, i.e., with the capacity to differentiate themselves and give rise to any cell of the peripheral blood. These are the so-called stem cells or progenitor/staminal cells. These cells renew themselves frequently, maintaining a relatively constant number.

Although it is generically referred to as bone marrow transplantation, in practice what happens is a reinfusion or transfusion into the patient of progenitor cells that are withdrawn from the donor's marrow. These healthy cells will substitute the patient's cells and are responsible for the formation of new healthy cells. But for the transplantation to succeed, the healthy cells must be as compatible as possible with the patient's cells.

How does one process the collection of bone marrow transplantation cells?

There are two bone marrow transplantation cell collection procedures:

• Collection from the bone marrow - Progenitor cells collected from the interior of the pelvic bones. Normally requires general anaesthesia and a short hospitalisation period;
• Collection of peripheral progenitor cells - Collection is made from the peripheral blood, normally via a vein in the arm, through a process called apheresis, in which the donor has to previously take growth factor medication that will increase the production and circulation of progenitor cells in the peripheral blood. In addition to these two methods, there is also another source of progenitor cells which are the cells of the umbilical cord. In this case, following prior consent from the mother, the cells are collected from the umbilical cord when the baby is born. The umbilical cord has a very high percentage of progenitor cells but since the quantity is generally small, they are mainly used in the transplantation of children.
   

What are the probabilities of finding a compatible donor?

Considering all these approaches, approximately 80 per cent of all patients have, at least, one potential donor. This percentage increased significantly (in 1991 it was 41 per cent) following the worldwide efforts made to recruit donors. However, not all patients regarding which an identical donor has been identified reach the transplantation stage.

Can a donor withdraw from the procedure after knowing that he/she is compatible with a patient?

As a volunteer, the donor has no legal obligations. A potential donor that is compatible with a patient that needs a bone marrow transplant can, for various reasons, withdraw from the procedure. Individual decisions shall always be respected. However, a belated decision relative to withdrawing may constitute very serious risks for the patient. A change of attitude near the end of the procedure can be fatal for a patient that is undergoing preparation for transplantation. It is perfectly natural for there to be doubts, hesitations or even refusals when a donor is contacted. But after having pondered the pros and cons, the donor must make a decision and be aware that, if he/she changes his/her mind quite advanced into the procedure, it will affect not only him/herself but also the patient.

Who pays for the donation process?

All medical procedures that involve donation are covered by the patient's health subsystem, as well as all travel and other non-medical costs. The only costs that may be borne by the donor are those with reference to the time that needs to be spent on the donation process.

Can bone marrow only be given once?

No, marrow is a tissue that regenerates rapidly, such that it is possible to make more than one donation.

BLOOD DONOR

Giving blood is an act of responsibility and, above all, of solidarity. Responsibility because, in the interview prior to the donation, the donor indicates the quality of the blood, which is then subsequently confirmed. It is the beginning of a process that does not finish at blood collection, but continues until six people have received its components or derivatives. More than giving blood, a citizen is giving life.

For more information on the Humanitarian Group of Blood Donors of Covilhã, click here.

Humanitarian Group of Blood Donors of Covilhã

Rua D. Sancho I, 7 Cave
6200-197 COVILHÃ
Phone: (+351) 275 332 307
Email: ghdscovilha@sapo.pt

You may also consult the blood collection sites of your area of residence which are updated by the Portuguese Institute of Blood every month.