Bone marrow is a spongy tissue found in the bones. It provides storage and it develops 95 percent of the blood cells in the body. A bone marrow transplant involves taking stem cells from a healthy bone marrow and selecting only the healthy stem cells out of them and transplanting them in the needy patient. Stem cells are blood cells that are capable of producing other blood cells.

Some of the diseases that may require bone marrow transplant are given below.

• Leukemia
• Severe aplastic anemia
• Lymphomas
• Multiple myeloma
• Immune deficiency disorder
• Solid tumor cancers such as breast or ovarian

Bone marrow transplant requires that the recipient’s own bone marrow is destroyed. Prior to transplant the recipient may go for several weeks without sufficient white blood cells required to fight infection. Hence, he is susceptible to infection. This means that the patient is at high risk of infections even though he may be taking antibiotics. Immunosuppressive drugs are given for minimum of six months after the transplantation. Transplant patients also lose their acquired immunity to disease such as measles and polio for which they had received vaccines during their childhood. They need fresh vaccines to gain immunity.     

Infections are likely in the patient. Bacterial infections are common. Viral and fungal infections can cause more problems.

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• Cutoff Age For Bone Marrow Transplant
• Difficult Match And Bone Marrow Transplant
• Hiv And Bone Marrow Transplant
• Purpose Of Bone Marrow Transplant
• Where Are Bone Marrow Transplants Done ?