Difference between Allogeneic & Autologous Bone Marrow Transplants

Bone Marrow Transplant nowadays is also known as Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation or HSCT in short. Also known as pluripotent stem cells, bone marrow is home to these specialized cells which normally play an important role in replenishing regular blood supply & for maintaining blood counts in healthy hosts. Stem cell transplantation generally refers to a procedure which involves replacing hematopoietic stem cells by new cells which have been harvested by the patient (autologous) or from another donor person (allogeneic) which will eventually grow into healthy hematopoietic system following bone marrow transplant.

Bone Marrow Transplant Types

There are a couple of common bone marrow transplant types which are listed below.

Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation

Predicted on a simple concept that when little chemotherapy can be beneficial then a lot could be even better, autologous BMT is extremely useful in diseases like lymphoma where lower doses are not usually helpful. Autologous BMT involves collection & freezing of the patient’s own stem cells prior to administering higher doses of chemotherapy. Typically, patients undergoing chemotherapy are normally assessed for HSCT at some point of time during treatment. This procedure includes evaluation of bone marrow in order to ensure healthy stem cells alongside adequate functioning of liver, lungs & heart. In case the patient qualifies for autologous BMT, stem cells are usually collected by a procedure known as apheresis & which are then stored for future use on completion of chemotherapy. Main advantage of autologous BMT is that since these stem cells are from the patient’s own body, there is absolutely no danger of graft versus host disease involving graft rejection. However, the immune system of the patient usually takes about 12 months of time to completely recover following autologous BMT.

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic BMT is predicted on the idea that when the immune system of the patient was not able to detect & destroy disease, maybe immune system from a donor which can either be a sibling or an unrelated person mount an immune response to overcome disease. The problem with allogeneic BMT is that while the transplanted donor immune system can recognize disease as foreign, it is also possible that it can recognize normal organs of the host as foreign & mount an attack which is termed Graft Versus Host Disease or GVHD in short. This is why immunosuppressant drugs are given to the allogeneic BMT patient for a considerable period of time. Due to a variety of associated complications allogeneic BMT patients walk a very fine line that is meant to assess individual risks & benefits of this type of stem cell transplant. HLA matching, which is quite different from blood typing, is essentially required to define proper allogeneic BMT donors.  

Bone Marrow Transplant in India is a Money Saving Idea

With a vast network of highly reputed doctors & surgeons & advanced hospital care, medical procedures including bone marrow transplant in India is of world-class standard. Apart from the high international quality of healthcare, bone marrow transplant cost is unbelievably economical & just about a fraction of what it costs in developed western countries. In fact bone marrow transplant cost is one of the main driving factors which brings-in a growing number of overseas patients to India every year.

For getting more details on bone marrow transplant procedure in India, e-mail at: help@indianmedtrip.com 

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Why India’s Medical Tourism Gets Africa’s Attention?

Now-a-days, global healthcare sector is advancing at a faster pace. ‘Medical Tourism’ refers to the practice of traveling overseas for availing best healthcare treatments & provisions. Massive range of international patients is crossing borders to avail medical facilities in another nation due to the following principal reasons.

• Medical Services - Lack of medical facilities in low to middle-income nations like Africa is one of the greatest factors.
• Expensive Healthcare Treatments - International patients are able to save up to 50 % of their hard-earned money. For instance, cost of a heart valve replacement surgery in western nations like Canada, Australia, United Kingdom or United States is much higher as compared to the prices in India.
• Excellent Quality Treatments - Global patients seeking top-class healthcare provisions at a reasonable rate can choose from a variety of medical tourism destinations.

Main Health Problems Faced by African Countries

According to recent statistics, mortality rate of patients in African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania & Ghana is increasing due to poor quality of medical care. Major diseases affecting African population are malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis & diarrhea. Studies reveal that malaria accounted for approximately 290, 000 deaths & 790, 000 deaths occurred due to HIV/AIDS in African countries in the year 2016. It is observed that there is only one medical professional available per 1000 patients in Africa. This is the reason why ratio of patients from Africa looking for reliable & economical healthcare treatments in other countries have doubled in past few decades.

Best Benefits of Medical Tourism in India

India is renowned for its beauty & rich cultural heritage. In addition to this, advancement in medical sector has become a feather in the cap of this country. Indian healthcare system offers a wide range of cost-effective treatments to global patients. Patients from low income countries like Africa can highly get benefited from staunch Indian medical facilities. The following list outlines major benefits of availing medical tourism in India.

• Highly Skilled Medical Professionals - Indian doctors & nurses are considered to be finest medical professionals across the globe. Most of the doctors serving in India are well-experienced & immensely talented. They are highly proficient in handling complicated cases.
• World-Class Hospitals - Multi-speciality hospitals & clinics in India offer high-quality medical procedures in areas of cardiovascular surgeries, orthopedic surgeries, plastic surgeries, dental treatments & much more. Majority of Indian hospitals follow international protocols for ensuring patient’s safety.
• Cost-Effective Treatment Packages - Prime medical treatments in India costs only a fraction of total amount that a patient may have to pay in other developed countries. It has been estimated that number of African patients visiting India has increased by 44% in the past two years.
• Easy Medical Visa - Indian tourism ministry has proposed e-visas for overseas patients willing to get medical treatments in India. This remarkable step of Indian government has made it simpler for international patients to avail prompt medical care.
• State-of-The-Art-Technology - Hospitals in India are well-equipped with latest technologies like Gamma knife, IMRT, brain suite, PET scan, IGRT, CyberKnife & much more.
• Alternative Therapies - Indian country also offers holistic healing therapies like yoga, meditation & naturopathy for rejuvenating mind & body of patients.

All these factors make India the best choice for medical tourism. African patients struggling with dreadful diseases can easily access these facilities at best hospitals in India. Patients can also relax in various exquisite tourist destinations in India for a faster recovery & take back pleasant memories after completion of their treatment.

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