Int J Hematol. 2025 May 20. doi: 10.1007/s12185-025-04007-y. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
The Japanese government’s recent lowering of the legal adult age to 18 may prompt reconsideration of the minimum age for donors in the Japan Marrow Donor Program. To provide foundational data for decision-makers, this retrospective study analyzed the safety of hematopoietic stem cell donation among 1999 related donors aged 18 to 24 years, using data from the Japanese Data Center for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. Severe adverse events (SAEs) occurred in 1.0% of all donors, with no significant difference between those aged 18 to 19 (0.7%) and those aged 20 to 24 (1.1%) (P = 0.59). Risk factors for SAEs included ongoing asthma treatment (HR 34.6, 95% CI 2.29-524.00, P < 0.01), history of asthma (HR 11.3, 95% CI 2.46-51.70, P < 0.01), and female sex (HR 4.64, 95% CI 1.51-14.20, P < 0.01). However, age of 18 to 19 was not a significant risk factor (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.14-2.01, P = 0.35). These results indicate that stem cell donation safety in 18- to 19-year-old donors is comparable to that in 20- to 24-year-olds, with increased risks linked to asthma and female sex.
PMID:40392464 | DOI:10.1007/s12185-025-04007-y
