Olek was cured with stem cells from his younger brother’s umbilical cord blood

Chronic granulomatous disease – what is it?

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a genetically inherited disease that affects the immune system.
It is a rare primary immunodeficiency.
It is characterized by increased susceptibility to severe and recurrent bacterial and fungal infections and the development of granulomas.
Unfortunately, it leads to death by the age of 20-30 years.
CGD can take a different course, depending on the type of genetic mutation that causes it.
Symptoms of the disease can be present from infancy, but also appear at a later age.
These include recurrent bacterial infections, as well as granulomas that form on the skin, lymph nodes or internal organs.
Treatment for chronic granulomatous disease involves antibiotics and antifungal drugs, as well as stem cell transplantation from bone marrow or cord blood.

What is Olek’s story?

As a toddler, Olek was very often sick.
The frequency of infections was of great concern to the Parents.
At the age of 1.5 years, Olek developed a large tumor on his neck, which required surgery.
After histopathological examination, doctors diagnosed the boy with chronic granulomatous disease.
Transplantation was required because infections, aspergillosis (i.e., dropworm) could be fatal for Olek.
His immunity was impaired and any infection was dangerous for him.
Olek’s scores were getting weaker and his crp was getting higher, confirming that there was inflammation in his body.
A stem cell transplant was needed to provide the boy with new cells that would be able to fight infections.
The search for a donor began.
After a family analysis, it turned out that Olek’s brother, unfortunately, was not his HLA match, but during his birth, his parents secured cord blood.
Umbilical cord blood requires less genetic compatibility than marrow, so it could be successfully used in Olek’s treatment.
The parents learned about the possibility of collecting cord blood from the hematologist who was treating Olek.
They decided to donate in order to safeguard their younger son’s health, not expecting that the stem cells from Frank’s cord blood would save the life of their older son Olek.

What were the results of Olek’s treatment?

In the case of chronic granulomatous disease, stem cell transplantation aims to replace damaged or malfunctioning immune system cells with healthy cells.
Once healthy stem cells are transplanted, the patient’s body begins to produce healthy white blood cells that are capable of killing bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.
This, in turn, reduces the risk of infection and the formation of inflammatory granulomas.

In Olek’s case, the cord blood transplant was a standard transplant, which is fully reimbursed by the National Health Fund.
The transplantation of stem cells from cord blood, in addition to curing Olek’s chronic granulomatous disease, cured the boy’s celiac disease, which is a genetic intolerance to gluten, a spare protein contained in grains.
Today, Olek is a fully healthy boy who does not require any treatment.