Organ Donors

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Can we count on you?

People from South Asian communities living in the UK have a much greater chance of needing a kidney transplant than the general population. This is because they are more likely to develop diabetes or high blood pressure, both of which are major causes of kidney failure.

Low donation rates

Unfortunately, while the need for donor organs is three to four times higher than among the general population, donation rates are relatively low among south Asian people. This reduces the chances of finding a successful match...

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About Cord Blood

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Cord Baby

When a baby is born, the placenta and umbilical cord that attached the infant to his or her mother are usually thrown away as of no further use – in fact nothing could be further from the truth. The blood they contain has unique properties. It can be used to replace damaged bone marrow or for research that could lead to the successful treatment of a host of other diseases and conditions.

Cord blood contains high levels of stem cells that can renew bone marrow and thus the source of blood and T regulatory cells that are able to regenerate the immune system.

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The importance of bone marrow

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Bone marrow doesn’t sound very exciting, but it’s the ‘factory’ where nearly all our new blood cells are made. Without it our bodies are unable to function.
Bone marrow produces the white cells needed to fight off infection, the red cells needed to carry oxygen and remove waste products from organs and tissues and the platelets which help blood to clot and stop bleeding. If taken from a donor, bone marrow is able to replace itself without any long term detriment to the donor's health.

What happens in a donation?

There are two ways of collecting the vital cells needed to perform a transplant. Neither involves surgical intervention, although one requires a general anaesthetic.

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Why we need more ethnic minorities & men

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The Anthony Nolan Trust need to recruit more volunteer donors from all ethnic backgrounds and increase the male population on our Register. By recruiting more black and minority ethnic volunteers we can ensure that all UK patients have the best chance of finding a donor.

Why more ethnic minorities are needed

Tissue type is not random, but inherited - so patients in need of a transplant are most likely to find a compatible donor within their own ethnic community.

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A few facts about the Register

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The Anthony Nolan bone marrow register has helped give a chance of life to over 4,000 people since 1974. It is the most successful bone marrow register in the UK and the third largest register in the world.

Donors
  • There is a one in four chance that a brother or sister will share the same tissue type.
  • 30% of patients needing a transplant will find a matching donor from within their own family, generally from a sibling
  • The Anthony Nolan Trust find unrelated donors for patient s

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