Predictors of general discomfort, limitations in activities of daily living and intention of a second donation in unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donation

Abstract

We performed a retrospective study of 1868 consecutive unrelated donors to predict the risk factors related to general discomfort, limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) and intention of a second donation in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) donation. General discomfort and limitations in ADLs were assessed by numerical measurement (scores of 0-10) and donor's intention of a second donation by yes or no reply. The post-donation questionnaires were completed within 48 h after HSC collection and at 1 week, 4 weeks, and 4 months thereafter. Predictors of general discomfort included female sex (P<0.0001), bone marrow (BM) collection (P<0.0001) or PBSC collection through a central line (CL; P=0.0349), 2-day collection (P=0.0150) and negative or undetermined intention of a second donation on day 1 (P<0.0001). Predictors of limitations in ADLs included age group of 30-39 years (P=0.0046), female sex (P<0.0001), BM collection (P<0.0001) or PBSC collection through a CL (P<0.0001) and negative or undetermined intention of a second donation on day 1 (P<0.0001). The only predictor of positive intention of a second donation was male sex (P=0.0007). Age, sex and collection method and period should be considered risk factors when unrelated HSC donation is performed.

Physical and Psychological Discomfort Experienced by Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Donors

“…All HSC donors who participated in this study responded that they experienced at least one or more forms of physical discomfort during the HSCD process. The types of physical discomfort experienced by the participants consisted, in decreasing order of frequency, of myalgia, bone pain, fatigue, and headache, corroborating a previous study [8]. Although G-CSF has mild side-effects in general, donors may develop various symptoms leading to physical discomfort which can also cause changes to some test results [16].…”

“…A study assessing the general discomfort and degree of restriction to daily life experienced by HSC donors [8] suggested that being female and going through bone marrow and PBSC collection via central line are predictors of general discomfort. One point to note is that being pessimistic about donating a second time or deciding not to do so were included as predictors of general discomfort, indicating that experience of the donation process can affect willingness to donate in future.…”

“…For example, the procedure may cause several side effects, making the donation an altruistic action rather than simple sharing [3]. Most known side effects of HSCD are physical discomfort such as bone and joint pain, headache, fatigue, fever, insomnia, nausea, dyspnea, edema, and rash [8]. Meanwhile, only a few studies have reported on psychological discomfort, e.g., depression [9] and regret [2].…”

Protecting the Selfless: Toward More Comprehensive Care for Pediatric Related Stem Cell Donors

“…Driven in part by registry regulations, the preponderance of information is on volunteer unrelated donors describing periprocedure and short-term events. Of interest, as in the current study, these studies previously identify female gender as a risk factor for increased toxicity [3,4].…”