Leading To BMT

Aplastic Anemia is a bone marrow failure disease in which the blood stem cells in the bone marrow fail to produce sufficient life-sustaining blood cells. Failure to treat Aplastic Anemia is life-threatening. Aplastic Anemia is however a curable disease if the patient can receive a bone marrow transplant from a matched donor. (See Aplastic Anemia - Be The Match - Donate Marrow - Marrow.org)

During the initial stages of Aplastic Anemia, a common symptom is tiredness, but a person may not recognize any noticeable signs. As the disease progresses, the tiredness does, too. If labs including a complete blood count aren't run, the disease will continue without diagnosis.

As the disease progresses, blood stem cells in the bone marrow die, which drastically reduces the numbers of cells produced. The body recognizes the lack of cells, and reacts by producing blasts of immature cells that fail to meet the demands upon them. Tiredness turns to extreme exhaustion. As Neutrophils decline, so do the numbers of white cells, which results in vunerability to infection. The patient becomes neutropenic - unable to fight off infection.

If diagnosis hasn't been attempted up and until this point, an infection or extreme exhaustion often cause a patient to seek medical attention. A CBC will show the details of the progressing Aplastic Anemia. A regime of antibiotics, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial drugs are prescribed quickly.

Very Severe Aplastic Anemia will reveal quick declining blood counts, which require transfusions to maintain life. If ATG or other immunosuppressant drugs haven't been attempted, they may be recommended. Alternatively, the recommendation may be for a bone marow transplant.

A bone marrow transplant is a transplant of blood stem cells taken from a closely-matched donor and infused into the patient. The blood stem cells make their way to the bone marrow, seat themselves in the soft boney tissue, grow and begin to produce blood cells (engraftment). Those cells are life.

A bone marrow transplant is a means by which patients with Aplastic Anemia are cured of the disease.

Do something really big: BE THE MATCH! Marrow.org.