Stem Cell Therapy for Arthritis in Guatemala

Arthritis can easily be confused with rheumatoid disease because the symptoms are very similar. Some of the symptoms that could be an indication of arthritis include:

• Joint pain
• Fatigue
• Joint redness
• Swelling of the joints
• Stiffness of the joints
• Joint warmth
• Poly arthritis (when many joints are affected)
• Joint deformity
• Loss of joint function
• Limping
• Fever
• Anemia

The current medications used are immune suppressants such as steroids. However, these pose long-term side effects because of their nonspecific immunosuppression. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are used and if ineffective, biologic may be recommended. All these medications do not help with the damage that has already occurred.

Presently arthritis has no known cure. The main goal of treatment plans is usually to:

• Prevent joint deformity and destruction
• Maximize joint function
• Reduce joint pain and inflammation

Researchers have used stem cell therapy to try and provide a cure or treatment for artistes. Stem cells are used to accelerate healing. Stem cells are able to control the immune system and defend the body from pathological responses while still defending it from disease.

Using stem cell therapy, mesenchymal stem cells are used to produce anti-inflammatory agents. The stem cells act locally and do not suppress the immune system in the whole body. Moreover, mesenchymal stem cells promote the production of T regulatory cells, which serve to protect the body from attacking itself.

Stem cells can be found in our bodies and their main purpose is to do repairs in the body. Sometimes, due to age or other factors such as injuries, the cells are not enough. Stem cell therapy aims at increasing your body’s own stem cells to increase repair and accelerate healing.

Allogenic mesenchymal stem cells are preferred when treating arthritis. They are harvested from human umbilical, cords which are donated after healthy and normal births. All the mothers who choose to donate their umbilical cords undergo thorough and comprehensive testing and screening for diseases.

The umbilical cords are then analyzed and those with the proteins and genes that are most effective are chosen.

• The cells can be administered several times over a period of days or weeks in uniform dosages.
• The cells possess the best anti-inflammatory activity, ability to stimulate regeneration and immune modulating capacity.
• Umbilical cord tissue has an abundant supply of mesenchymal cells
• There is no need for invasive procedures to harvest the cells.
• Mesenchymal stem cells are immune system privileged. This means that cell rejection is not an issue.

Stem cell therapy for the treatment of arthritis can be done on the same day as the harvest. However, most patients undergo a treatment plan that takes about a week. This all depends on each unique patient.