National Bone Marrow Donation Week begins today

National Bone Marrow Donation Week begins today, December 14th.

In order to be a donor, it is necessary to be between 18 and 54 years old and to take the documents of RG and CPF. There is no minimum weight to make blood donation and having diabetes or high blood pressure does not stop the act. At the visit, 10 ml of blood will be collected for the compatibility test (HLA). If a compatible patient appears, the volunteer will be called back for blood tests and assessment of current health status.

Finding a non-family compatible bone marrow donor is difficult, especially since few people volunteer to the cause, mainly due to lack of information. According to data provided by the National Cancer Institute (INCA), there are two million and 500,000 possible donors in Brazil to serve about 1,800 patients, but the compatibility rate is one per 100,000 people.

Bone Marrow Donation

Bone marrow is a liquid-gelatinous tissue where all the blood cells are produced. Transplantation is an alternative when the patient has some cancer, such as leukemia, lymphomas and other blood cancers, and the treatments proposed by the doctor do not reach the expected results.

Brazil is one of the main donors, but there is an aggravating factor in the as the hematologist and director of Unifesp's Marrow Transfusion Department, Fábio Kerbauy, explains: "Because we are a mixed country, the chances of someone finding a compatible bone marrow donor are lower than in countries like Japan, for example. ".

Donating is simple. Just attend a blood center and be between 18 and 54 years old, in addition to good health. Fábio explains that few diseases prevent the donation of marrow and this depends on the state of the patient. People with chronic controlled diseases, for example, may be donors.

For the registry, 10 ml of blood is taken to track genetic traits. The data are entered in the National Register of Bone Marrow Donor Volunteers (REDOME) and, whenever a new patient arises, the compatibility will be verified.

If there is a compatible recipient, the donor will be consulted to decide on the donation . Then he does some clinical tests to confirm his good health. There is no need for a change in lifestyle, work or food habits. "The collection of the marrow can be done through the pelvic bones, where a surgical procedure is necessary, or through the blood." Both methods are safe and painless, "says Fábio.

In addition to these two methods, it is possible to obtain progenitor cells through the umbilical cord. "In some hospitals in the public network and in the private network, a freezing of the cord is done with the consent of the mother," says Fábio.

The volume withdrawn for donation is at most 15% of the marrow, which does not compromise the health of the donor. The donor will be able to perform the same procedure after one month.

Microcephaly: 41 cases are related to Zika virus

The Ministry of Health released on Friday, 12, a new epidemiological bulletin of cases of microcephaly in the country. According to the material, 462 cases being studied were confirmed for microcephaly or other central nervous system disorders, with 41 being related to the Zika virus. Another 765 cases reported were discarded for normal examination or microcephaly and / or changes in the central nervous system due to non-infectious causes.

(Health)

Anvisa prohibits sale of medicine for weight loss and deodorant

The Agency National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) determined the seizure and destruction of the units of lot 1310710-4 of the medicine Biomag 15mg (sibutramine hydrochloride), used for weight loss. The manufacturer of the product, Aché Laboratórios Farmacêuticos SA, which owns the product registration, stated that it did not manufacture lot 1310710-4 ( validity 10/2018).

(Health)