Symposium, blood drive scheduled

Art Nadler

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

A shortage of blood-marrow donors from among ethic minorities is prompting a combination blood drive and health symposium this weekend in Las Vegas.

There are 2.2 million bone-marrow donors listed on an international registry, but only about 130,000 of them are ethnic minorities.

Officials at the National Marrow Donor Program are concerned. Only 30 percent of bone-marrow patients rely on family members for transplants, leaving the rest in need of public help.

"We are trying to strengthen the pool, so people with leukemia can be matched," said Dr. Craig Rucker, an internist at the Pueblo Clinic Diagnostic Center of Medicine at 8551 W. Lake Mead Boulevard. "With a match, there is a 40 to 60 percent survival rate. With no match, you undergo chemotherapy and are given blood products. Eventually, the person dies."

The health symposium and blood drive will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Second Baptist Church, 500 Madison St.

On Saturday, the symposium will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Information on leukemia, hypertension and diabetes will be discussed by area agencies and physicians. Free blood-pressure checks and ear and eye examinations will also be conducted.

For Sunday's blood drive, African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, American Indians and Hispanics should arrive at the church between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Donors must be 18 to 60 years old. They should have no history of heart disease, heart attacks, cancer, asthma or chronic back or hip problems.

Those who give two small tubes of blood will be matched by tissue type and placed in a national registry. If a match is needed, the donor will be flown to UCLA in Los Angeles for an overnight stay. Marrow is drawn from the hip with little side effects, Rucker said, except for a slight discomfort pain that lasts a few days.

At any given time, there is a need for 2,000 bone-marrow transplants, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. Transplants each month, however, number only about 85.

Since bone marrow contains cells that maintain the immune system, a match must be more precise than a heart or liver transplant.

Nearly 65 percent of patients searching the registry will find identical matches if donors participate.

For more information on the minority bone-marrow drive, contact Heidi Aragon-Morrisett, United Blood Services marrow program specialist, at 228-2859, or 228-4483.