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Bone Marrow Transplant for Sickle Cell Disease
Bone marrow is the substance in the center of your bones that produces red blood cells. A person with sickle cell disease has bone marrow that produces red blood cells with defective hemoglobin S. But if that bone marrow is replaced with healthy bone marrow, a person's body may start to produce normal hemoglobin. Bone marrow transplants require bone marrow from another person (donor) and carry a high degree of risk. They are used only in cases of severe sickle cell disease for children who have minimal organ damage due to the disease. Experts consider the procedure experimental.
Before the transplant, bone marrow stem cells are taken from someone who has closely matching bone marrow, usually a healthy brother or sister. The child who has sickle cell disease is then treated with drugs that destroy his or her bone marrow cells. After that, the donated bone marrow stem cells are injected into a vein.
After the process is complete, the donor's bone marrow begins to replace the recipient's bone marrow. These new cells restore the immune system and make normal red blood cells.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: October 7, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Martin Steinberg, MD - Hematology | |
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