What are the chances of recovery? | Aplastic anaemia

What are the chances of recovery?

The chances of recovery depend on the course and severity of the disease, as well as the individual physical condition and age of the person affected. In general, younger patients have better therapy results than older ones. If a stem cell transplantation has to be carried out for severe courses of the disease, the chances of recovery depend largely on this transplantation.

With a suitable donation from a family member, about 80% of the patients are still alive after 5 years. If the donation comes from an unrelated donor, 70% are still alive. Furthermore, better results are achieved with stem cell transplants from bone marrow than with stem cell transplants from peripheral blood.

If a stem cell transplantation is not possible, an intensified immune system suppressive therapy is applied. In this case, the 5-year survival rate is about 80%, although this therapy does not achieve complete healing, but only an improvement of symptoms. As almost always, an early start of therapy has a positive effect on the course of the disease and the chances of recovery. However, recurrences, i.e. a new illness after successful therapy, are not uncommon, so patients must also be regularly checked after therapy.

Is aplastic anemia fatal?

Yes, aplastic anemia is an acutely life-threatening disease. Untreated, it is fatal in 70% of adults. Aplastic anaemia is characterised by a deficiency of all the different blood cells. Above a certain level this is no longer compatible with life, especially serious infections and heavy bleeding are problematic. This makes it all the more important to start therapy as soon as possible, preferably in a specialised centre for haematology!

Leukemia and Aplastic Anemia

In particular in congenital special forms such as Fanconi anaemia, in which mutations in the DNA repair system occur, aplastic anaemia can lead to other haemato-oncological diseases such as myelodysplastic syndrome or a form of acute leukaemia (AML). As a result of aplastic anaemia, a malignant change in the bone marrow stem cells from which the blood cells are derived occurs. As a result, immature and non-functional blood precursor cells are released into the blood. On the other hand, in acute leukaemia, aggressive, high-dose chemotherapeutic agents are also administered, which, as mentioned above, can lead to aplastic anaemia in rare cases.