A review of the haematopoietic stem cell donation experience: is there room for improvement?

Donation of haematopoietic stem cells, either through BM or PBSC collection, is a generally safe procedure for healthy donors although adverse reactions are a definite risk. The invaluable source of donation and its central role in transplantation implies that every effort should be made to alleviate possible difficulties the donor encounters. The physical and psychological reactions to donation have been established for some time, but less is known about the factors that are associated with a poorer donation experience. In this article, we provide an overview of the physical and psychological donation experience and focus attention on demographic, physical and psychological factors that may influence this donation experience. Understanding that toxicity profiles vary with certain donor characteristics is crucial as this knowledge could influence practice in numerous ways including the modification of joining and recruitment policies and the improvement of supportive measures and donor follow-up procedures. Although this review deals with both unrelated and related donors (RDs), there is a relative paucity of regulation of RD care and we call for more attention to this area. Owing to the relative rarity of donation in each country, a global effort to collect donor outcome data is needed.

Exercise induced bronchoconstriction and sports.

Exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) describes the acute transient airway narrowing that occurs during and most often after exercise, and is prevalent in elite athletes. Prolonged hyperventilation of dry or cold air and increased inhalation of pollutants or allergens could account for the bronchoconstrictive reaction. The subsequent airway inflammation seems to differ from typical asthma. Objective measures of lung function and provocation tests should be used for an accurate and reliable diagnosis. EIB is currently treated with inhalation of beta(2)-agonists or, as second choice, sodium cromoglycate approximately 15 min before exercise. If this proves to be insufficient then inhaled steroids should be added. Leukotriene receptor antagonists can be used in patients whose symptoms do not respond to inhaled steroids. The screening of high risk populations such as swimmers, cyclists, rowers and winter athletes is recommended by some authors. Drug doping regulations and practical recommendations for competitive athletes and their health care providers are explained.