Bone marrow is nothing but the tender tissue that is found inside the bones. These are responsible for making young blood cells and stem cells in living beings. The patients of leukemia and thalassemia commonly require the bone marrow transplant surgery. Then what is the need for pediatric bone marrow transplant? A pediatric bone marrow transplant is the surgery to transplant the bone marrow in children. It is a surgery where the surgeons replace the defective bone marrow with the healthy one.
Different types of bone marrow transplants in children
The different types of bone marrow transplants in children are similar to that found in adults, and it includes allogenic bone marrow transplant, autologous bone marrow transplant, and the umbilical cord blood transplant.
What are the risks of undergoing pediatric bone marrow transplant?
There are some risks involved with bone marrow transplant surgeries, and some of them turn out to be life-threatening as well. Some of the risks include the types of bone marrow transplant, types of diseases in the child, the age of the child, drugs used before bone marrow transplant, and the difference in the tissue that is matched between the donor and the child.
Different complications involved in pediatric bone marrow transplant
According to the oncologists, there are different possible complications in the pediatric bone marrow transplant surgeries, and some of them include:
Anaemia and thrombocytopenia:
Anaemia is a health condition where your red blood cell count in the blood gets low, and thrombocytopenia is when the blood platelets get lowered. These health conditions can turn fatal if not diagnosed on time and most of the children who suffer from these health problems are advised to undergo multiple blood transfusion.
Infections:
Because of severe bone marrow suppression, infections can be caused. This is a situation that is characterized when low production of blood cells is diagnosed in the bone marrow. This can be treated with the right medicines.
Severe pain:
A child with bone marrow transplant children can experience pain in the mouth sores and gastrointestinal irritation as well, as stated by the oncologists. These complications can occur due to chemotherapy and can be treated with effective painkillers and proper care of the mouth.
Breathing problems:
Your child can face numerous breathing problems, and they will occur due to lung infection, graft or host disease, excessive fluid overdose, and inflammation of the airway, etc. If the child is admitted in one of the bone marrow transplant hospitals in India, he or she is advised to give oxygen supplement until the breathing condition gets improved.
How successful are the pediatric bone marrow transplant surgeries?
The oncologists believe that pediatric bone marrow transplant comes with an improved rate of success as compared to that of adult cases because the cells at a young age can successfully regenerate in a larger amount as compared to the adult people. The processes used for treatment and the hospital where the surgery is conducted also play vital roles in getting an increased success rate of the surgeries. If a child undergoes surgery in one of the popular bone marrow transplant hospitals in India, it is a must that he is given proper care at the hospital both before and after his discharge.
