What diseases can umbilical cord blood treat?
Feb 13, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhang Lu
Introduction
Under normal circumstances, umbilical cord blood can be used to treat diseases such as leukemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, leukodystrophy, severe combined immunodeficiency disease, and myocardial infarction. Prior to use, it is necessary to ensure that it has been stored under appropriate conditions and has not been contaminated or affected by harmful substances. Cord blood may not always be the best treatment option and therapeutic approaches should be considered comprehensively under the guidance of a physician.
Under normal circumstances, umbilical cord blood can treat diseases such as leukemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, leukodystrophy, severe combined immunodeficiency, and myocardial infarction. Detailed analysis is as follows:
1. Leukemia: Hematopoietic stem cells in umbilical cord blood can reconstruct the patient's hematopoietic and immune functions. Under suitable tissue matching conditions, umbilical cord blood transplantation is an effective treatment for various types of leukemia, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and chronic myeloid leukemia.
2. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: In severe cases where conventional treatments are ineffective, umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may be considered. This treatment can help rebuild the immune system, regulate immune function, alleviate disease symptoms, and reduce damage to various organs.
3. Leukodystrophy: Leukodystrophy is a metabolic disorder of cerebral white matter myelin caused by genetic factors. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood may differentiate into neural cells or secrete neurotrophic factors, thereby repairing and regenerating damaged neural tissues and improving neurological function.
4. Severe Combined Immunodeficiency: This disease involves immune dysfunction due to underdevelopment or damage to the immune system. Hematopoietic stem cells in umbilical cord blood can be used to reconstruct the patient's immune system, thereby fundamentally treating the condition, restoring immune function, and enhancing resistance to pathogens.
5. Myocardial Infarction: Following a myocardial infarction, a large number of cardiomyocytes die, leading to impaired cardiac function. Umbilical cord blood stem cells can differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells and secrete various cytokines that promote angiogenesis and repair of cardiomyocytes, thus improving cardiac function, reducing post-infarction complications, and enhancing patients' survival rates and quality of life.
Prior to use, it is necessary to ensure that the umbilical cord blood has been stored under appropriate conditions and has not been contaminated or affected by harmful substances. Additionally, for certain specific diseases, umbilical cord blood may not be the optimal treatment option, and multiple treatment approaches should be comprehensively considered under a physician's guidance.
