When a newborn is suspected of having fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT), umbilical cord blood samples will be taken and tested to measure the blood platelet count to guide treatment choices.
However, parents also have the option to keep cord blood in a public or private cord blood bank. Rich in stem cells, cord blood can be used to treat serious medical conditions, such as cancer, with life-saving results.
What is FNAIT?
Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is a rare but serious condition that affects 0.1% of pregnancies in which a pregnant mother’s immune system produces antibodies against the platelets of her fetus. This occurs when a fetus inherits platelet antigens from the father that are not compatible with the mother, typically involving a protein called human platelet antigen (HPA). The mother’s immune system recognizes the fetal platelets as foreign, attacking and destroying them, leading to low platelet levels (thrombocytopenia) in the fetus or newborn.
Why is cord blood stored in a cord blood bank?
Cord blood is extracted from the placenta and umbilical cord after the baby is born and the cord is cut. Stem cells are found in cord blood and can be used in transplants for people with anemia, immune system disorders, metabolic disorders, blood cancers and blood disorders. In these cases, bone marrow doesn’t produce enough stem cells and treatments such as chemotherapy kill healthy stem cells.
Cord blood is a good source of stem cells for a few reasons:
- It’s easy to collect, with no harm to the baby.
- It doesn’t require much processing time, so it’s ready to use fairly quickly.
- There’s a higher chance of a match with cord blood stem cells.
- There may be fewer complications such as infections are reported with stem cell transplants from cord blood.
Storing cord blood after an FNAIT-affected pregnancy
Cord blood from an FNAIT-affected pregnancy may not always be viable for storage if platelet levels are too low. If delivery of the baby requires urgent medical intervention, the collection of cord blood may be overlooked or deprioritized.
Read more about FNAIT FAQs
Pros of storing cord blood
However, despite a diagnosis of FNAIT, cord blood may be stored for future personal use. It won’t benefit the baby who is the origin of the card blood, so its primary use is often for a future sibling at risk of FNAIT. It may also be useful for the treatment of cancers, bone marrow diseases or immune system disorders that occur in the family.
Cons of storing cord blood
Cord blood from an FNAIT-affected pregnancy is more likely to require private storage, which can be expensive. In many cases, cord blood may be kept in case of an emergency but never used.
Public vs private cord blood banks
Public cord blood banks receive anonymous donations of cord blood for public use and are less likely to accept cord blood following a FNAIT-affected pregnancy. Whereas private cord blood banks store cord blood for personal or family use and will usually accept cord blood regardless of FNAIT complications. It is worth checking in advance.
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