At least 1.5 million Americans have lupus, according to the Lupus Foundation of America, with more than 16,000 new cases of lupus reported every year across the country. Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body — skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body. Normally our immune system protects the body from germs, viruses and bacteria, but for people with lupus, their immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissue, leading to chronic inflammation. People of all races and ethnicities can develop lupus, but it affects mostly women.
As with so many other conditions and disease – more than 80! – stem cells have the potential to offer hope, relief and a cure to lupus sufferers. Stem cells develop into many different types of cells in the body. Current research on treating lupus involves adult stem cells, and results have been promising. But one of the biggest challenges is making sure that patients receive enough stem cells that are the right tissues.
That’s why umbilical cord stem cell treatment for lupus is so exciting. Cord blood cells are less prone to rejection than stem cells from bone marrow, providing more promise to patients who suffer debilitating symptoms of lupus.
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