14 March 2022 17:30

Patients with thalassemia received bone marrow transplants

Bone marrow transplantations were performed on 32 patients with thalassemia in accordance with “State Program on Fighting of Thalassemia for 2015-2020” implemented by the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance (Agency) since April 2020.

Of them, 29 were diagnosed with beta thalassemia, and 3 persons suffered with acute myeloblastic leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma. 19 children who underwent surgery were between the age of 1 and 12.

Bone marrow donors were brothers and sisters of patients. Surgeries were performed at the Thalassemia division (Thalassemia Center) of the National Center for Hematology and Transfusion subordinated to the Administration of the Regional Medical Divisions (TABIB).

The head of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Section at the Thalassemia division of National Center for Hematology and Transfusion, hematologist Nargiz Aliyeva says that in genetic and malignant hematological diseases, several problems arise in the process of creation of blood cells in the bone marrow, as the bone marrow, which produces stem cells, loses its normal functions: “Bone marrow transplantation plays an important role in the treatment of these diseases. Bone marrow transplant involves transferring the stem cells to a patient to produce healthy blood cells. With this method of treatment, patients get a chance to be completely cured of inherited and malignant hematological diseases. In many cases after surgery, the recipient's organs and tissues recognize the donor's lymphocytes as foreign, and the recipient's lymphocytes try to repel them. In this case, to avoid side effects, the patient is prescribed protective medications before and after the transplantation.”

Nargiz Aliyeva added that the transferred stem cells start to produce new bone marrow in about 3 weeks. During this period, the patient receives blood products (erythrocytes, platelet masses, fresh frozen plasma) and antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal treatments.

We would like to emphasize that patients are provided free of charge both with medications used in preparation for surgery (for chemotherapy), and immunosuppressants prescribed for the reception of stem cells by the patient's immune system.

It should be noted that bone marrow transplantation, prevention of complications of the disease, preoperative laboratory tests are carried out free of charge in accordance with the “State Program on Fighting of Thalassemia for 2015-2020”.

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder. The disease is associated with impaired synthesis of hemoglobin in red blood cells. People with thalassemia have almost no specific complaints. They are also found to be carriers of thalassemia by chance, as a result of a blood test performed for examination of another problem.

If only one of the parents is a carrier of thalassemia, the probability of the child having thalassemia is zero. However, when both father and mother are carriers of thalassemia, their child is 25% more likely to be completely healthy, 50% more likely to be a carrier of thalassemia, and 25% more likely to be born with thalassemia.