Can cord blood be used for grandparents?

Can cord blood be used for grandparents?

Grandparents can use their grandchildren’s cord blood whenever needed, but it rarely happens.  Your child’s cord blood might never be useful to him. Instead, the child’s siblings, parents, or even grandparents will need it.

Most times, the grandparents will require a cord blood transplant due to one health issue or another.

Further in this article, we will discuss the criteria for you to use cord blood on grandparents.

Also, we will discuss other modalities that surround cord blood transplants for grandparents. So, continue reading to learn more.

Who can use the banked cord blood?

Cord blood collected from a child can also be used by the same child it was collected from but rarely. 

There are low chances of a child using their own cord blood. 

A child can only use their cord blood if they suffer from major health challenges such as cerebral palsy, autism, or stroke.

Moreover, such cord blood can also be banked for future use by parents or siblings. 

Grandparents and other immediate family members can also use the cord blood.

What is cord blood used for?

Cord blood is rich in blood stem cells and can be used as a remedy for many health issues. 

Some common health disorders that may require a cord blood transplant are cancers and bone marrow failure. 

Other sources of these rare cells are peripheral blood stem cells and bone marrow.

Who can use cord blood transplant?

Aged persons may go through any health challenges that require a stem cell transplant.

Sometimes, they may have a grandchild’s cord blood sitting within reach but are unsure of its safety. 

A cord blood transplant is only suitable for an acceptor who has a close genetic make-up to that of the donor.

There are rare cases of parents having the same make-up with their kids. 

The line gets even thinner when grandparents come into the picture. 

So, grandparents can use cord blood, but the chances are low. 

Furthermore, there are certain factors you have to consider when transplanting cord blood. Let’s consider them below:

Blood group does not count with cord blood 

The grandparent who needs the transplant doesn’t have to share the same blood group with the donor grandchild. 

You can transplant cord blood gotten from a Type A blood group grandchild to a type B blood group grandparent.

The HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) of both parties has to match

For the cord blood transplant to be effective, the grandparent and the grandchild need to have a matching HLA. 

Their HLA can hardly match if the donor and acceptor do not relate by blood. 

So, people who raise foster children don’t stand the chance of using their cord blood. 

Genetic match

A very important factor to consider before carrying out a cord blood transplant is whether or not there’s a genetic match between the donor and acceptor. 

This is the major reason the best candidate for a cord blood transplant is the person close to the donor. 

Their siblings are closest since they share a big percentage of their DNA.

So to close off, yes, grandparents can use cord blood, but the chances are low.