Why Do People Bank Cord Blood

Cord blood is blood that is found in the blood vessels of the placenta and umbilical cord. It is typically collected immediately after birth—right after the baby’s cord is cut. As a procedure, it is generally safe for both mom and baby. The tricky part is in the storage. Cord blood cells need to be stored in the right conditions to remain viable, and this can get costly, which is why a lot of parents hesitate about the decision. But why do parents decide to store their baby’s cord blood with cord blood bank companies?

The potential benefits are numerous.

The stem cells found in cord blood can have regenerative impacts on the body—and since they are extracted from the baby’s umbilical cord, they are always a perfect match for the baby, helping to protect against and heal multiple health conditions that may become a concern later in life. It’s for this reason that many parents make the decision to store their child’s cord blood in cord blood bank companies.

What conditions can cord blood from a cord blood bank company help with?

1) Blood disorders, including E-β+ thalassemia, E-βo thalassemia, HbSC disease, Sickle βo Thalassemia, Sickle-cell anemia (hemoglobin SS), α-thalassemia major, β-thalassemia intermedia, and β-thalassemia major (Cooley’s anemia).

2) Cancers, including Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Burkitt’s lymphoma, Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Hodgkin’s lymphoma Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), Lymphomatoid granulomatosis, Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), Neuroblastoma, and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

3) Bone marrow failure disorders, including Amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia, Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia, Congenital sideroblastic anemia, Cyclic neutropenia, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, Dyskeratosis congenita, Evan’s syndrome, Fanconi anemia, Glanzmann’s disease, Juvenile dermatomyositis, Kostmann’s syndrome, Red cell aplasia, Severe aplastic anemia, Shwachman syndrome, Thrombocytopenia with absent radius (TAR syndrome), and Autoimmune neutropenia (severe).

4) Metabolic disorders that include Adrenoleukodystrophy Gaucher’s disease (infantile); Alpha mannosidosis; Gunther disease; Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome; Hunter syndrome; Hurler syndrome; Hurler-Scheie syndrome; Krabbe disease (globoid cell leukodystrophy); Lesch-Nyhan disease; Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome; Metachromatic leukodystrophy; Mucolipidosis Type II, III; Niemann Pick Syndrome, type A and B;  Sandhoff Syndrome; Sanfilippo syndrome; and Tay-Sachs Disease.

5) Such immunodeficiencies as Adenosine deaminase deficiency; Ataxia telangiectasia; Chronic granulomatous disease; DiGeorge syndrome; IKK gamma deficiency; Immune dysregulation polyendocrinopathy; Leukocyte adhesion deficiency; Myelokathexis X-linked immunodeficiency; Omenn’s syndrome; Reticular dysplasia; Severe combined immunodeficiency; Thymic dysplasia; Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome; X-linked agammaglobulinemia; X-linked lymphoproliferative disease; and X-linked Mucolipidosis, Type II.

6) And a few other conditions, including Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis; Osteopetrosis; and Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

It’s an extensive list, but these are just the conditions that are known to see improvement from stem cell therapy. There are others that are still being studied, and there are even more that simply haven’t been discovered yet. With so many reasons, it’s no wonder parents are choosing the peace of mind of a cord blood bank company.

Stem cells can’t cure every disease, and there is no guarantee that your child, if they develop any medical condition, will come down with one of the conditions you’ve prepared them against. However, safeguarding your child against so many known and soon-to-be-discovered conditions is always a good start. Contact a cord blood bank company today if you want to get started.