Posted by bernardneal18
at 05:03 PM on June 16, 2009
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Aplastic Anemia being a rare illness has led to many deaths mostly due to lack of early diagnosis. However, if the indicators of the illness are discovered early enough, it is possible to either control or cure the disease completely. Just like any other disease, the seriousness of the condition determines the type of treatment to be undertaken. Severe Aplastic Anemia specifies that the patient be hospitalised for specialized treatment because it is potentially fatal. In the primary stages of treatment, the patient may have to bear blood transfusion as he or she awaits treatment. These treatments can either be used with a purpose of managing the illness for a substantial time or to completely cure the disease.
Aplastic Anemia Treatment
Blood transfusion for example does not cure the illness and multiple blood transfusions might be needed in order to give the desperately required blood cells that the bone marrow is not able to provide. The use of a growth factor may however be considered to help the body produce more blood cells to reduce the amount of transfusions. Bone Marrow transplant is understood to cure Aplastic Anemia and recurrence is mostly restricted to one out of 5 cases. A bone marrow transplant will often require that the patient finds a bone marrow donor, sometimes a close relative or a not related but matching donor. A likely risk in this type of treatment is where the patient's system rejects the transplant which may lead to significant problems. This treatment acts by suppressing the immune system. The disadvantage of these drugs is they may weaken the patient's immunity mechanism and in case the patient stops use their conditions are likely to reappear. Other techniques used for containing the difficulty include the use of bone marrow stimulants and the use of anti-retrovirals and antibiotics.
Research on Aplastic Anemia is still ongoing to come up with more effective treatments for the disease. High-Dose Cyclophosphamide is among the latest treatment for Aplastic Anemia in the market which is still being used in clinical trial. This medication is widely known for its low relapse rate and fewer side effects as opposed to of chemical treatment and Aplastic Anemia treatments. The Cytoxan loses the lymphocytes while leaving the healthy stem cells untouched. The bone marrow can then start manufacturing new healthy cells for the body at the normal rate.
Read more at Aplastic Anemia Treatment
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