Side effects

Stem cell donation has some side effects for both the donor and the recipient. During the medicinal stem cell flushing, the donor is injected with a drug called G-CSF, which is intended to flush the stem cells into the peripheral bloodstream. After drug administration, flu-like symptoms and bone pain, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea may occur.

Blood count changes, lung and respiratory tract infections and splenomegaly are also mentioned. Patients with sickle cell anemia should not take the drug, as this can lead to life-threatening multi-organ failure. Bone marrow puncture from the iliac crest may cause weakness after the procedure, bone pain in the puncture area and pain when walking. In the recipient, the transplantation can also lead to high fever, severe weakness and general symptoms. It should not be forgotten in this context that the recipient’s immune system has been switched off and the drugs used for this purpose also have a variety of side effects.

Minimum age for stem cell donation

Any healthy adult between 18 and 55 years of age can become a stem cell donor. Some exclusion criteria are also important and must be observed. For example, a minimum weight of 50 kg is necessary. All typed potential donors are stored in a file. At the age of 61, each donor is deleted from the file, as he is no longer eligible as a donor due to possible age-related diseases.

DKMS

The German Bone Marrow Donor Registry is a company that specializes in the typing of potential bone marrow donors. The non-profit organization was founded in 1991 and is based in Tübingen. Since 1997 the DKMS is a foundation.

Its main task is the organization of typing campaigns throughout Germany in which the population is called upon to undergo a blood sample collection. The collected data are fed into the central bone marrow donor registry, which is located in Ulm. This is the control center and the worldwide access point to all data.

The DKMS organizes its typing activities on a local level. In most cases, a patient who is ill in a certain place is presented and the population is called upon to be typed. However, the data obtained is then not only intended for the named patient, but can lead to transplantation worldwide if the corresponding characteristics match.

The DKMS is also globally active. It has representatives in Spain, Poland, the USA and England. In Germany the DKMS file has reached a considerable size.

Thus in this country about 4.3 million people are listed and are potentially eligible for a donation. World-wide approx. 6 million humans are listed in the file of the DKMS.

By 2016, a total of 54,000 stem cell transplants have been carried out, which can be traced back to typing by the DKMS. The DKMS is now 100% financed by donations. In the past, it was still supported by the German Cancer Aid and the Ministry of Health with grants. The DKMS works together with numerous laboratories in Germany and worldwide.