BSH 2018 | Treating aplastic anemia in developing countries

Kenneth Charles • 16 Apr 2018

BSH 2018

Aplastic anemia (AA) results in T-cells attacking bone marrow stem cells, causing loss of all blood cell types. Generally, this condition is treated with a stem cell transplant in combination with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporin. However, these treatments are not readily available in the developing world, as Kenneth Charles, MBBS, FRCP, FRCPath(Haem), from the University of the West Indies (St Augustine), Mount Hope, Trinidad & Tobago, explains at the British Society for Haematology (BSH) 2018 Annual Meeting in Liverpool, UK. Dr Charles discusses an AA treatment strategy his team applied in Trinidad & Tobago, using the anti-T-cell therapy alone, which achieved results similar to treatment regimens used in more developed countries with access to transplant equipment: a great achievement.