This international integration allows Argentine patients to access potential compatible donors from anywhere in the world. Most people who need a bone marrow transplant do not find a compatible donor within their family, so they rely on the voluntary registration of donors in the registry. How to register as a bone marrow donor? Registration is simple and is done at the time of donating blood at an authorized center, while the main requirements are: To be between 18 and 40 years old. Weigh more than 50 kg. Enjoy good health. Present DNI. Not have a history of relevant cardiac, hepatic or infectious-contagious diseases. The procedure includes the donation of one unit of blood (450 ml), the signing of the consent to join the National Registry and the performance of a genetic typing, which will allow to evaluate the compatibility with patients who need it. Once registered, the person remains in the registry until the age of 60 and can be summoned if a compatible patient appears. What happens if there is compatibility? If the registry detects compatibility, it contacts the donor to confirm their willingness to continue and perform complementary medical studies, while there are two donation modalities: By apheresis (peripheral blood): it is the most frequent method. Valeria El Haj in a report to which the Argentine News Agency had access. In Argentina, access to these procedures is guaranteed by the health system, with a central role for INCUCAI. Currently, more than 7,000 people are waiting for a transplant in the country and all these procedures depend on organ donation, an act of solidarity that saves lives and provides new opportunities. “A single donor can save up to seven lives,” highlights El Haj. Since 2019, Law No. 27,447, known as Justina's Law, establishes that all people over 18 years of age are organ donors, unless they have expressed otherwise. The removal is only performed in people with a diagnosis of brain death, under strict and regulated medical criteria. Donating in life is also possible Donation is not limited to post-mortem organs, it can also be done in life, as in the case of bone marrow donation, fundamental for the treatment of leukemias and other blood diseases. In Argentina, the process is coordinated by the National Registry of Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell (CPH) Donors, which operates within the scope of INCUCAI and is part of a worldwide network of donors. A few days before, medications are administered that mobilize the cells into the blood and then they are extracted through a procedure similar to platelet donation. By puncture of the iliac crests: it is performed in an operating room, under anesthesia, to extract cells directly from the hip bone. Both procedures are safe and the donor's cells regenerate naturally in a short time. “No one knows if they will ever need a transplant, for themselves or for someone close. Donating is a gesture that can change everything,” concludes the specialist.
