Corel Medical Series: Cancer/Corel Medical Series: Cancer.iso/mac/Program/p12.dxr/00041_Field_SRC.p12.C.11.txt

Text File | 1997-01-28 | 2KB | 18 lines

• Infections  After the transplant, there will be a period of two to six weeks during which the new bone marrow
  cannot manufacture red cells , white cells or platelets. Though it is fairly easy to transfuse red cells and
  platelets, it is nearly impossible to transfuse white cells. Going without them for any time is dangerous
  because the risk of infection is high when blood counts are very low. So anyone getting a transplant will
  usually be given liberal amounts of antibiotics. Sometimes these are given before any signs of infection appear
  and are usually not discontinued until the blood counts have returned to a more normal level. They are always
  given at the first sign of a fever. Most of the time infections can be controlled until normal white cells return.
  But certain infections—such as fungal infections—can still prove fatal.
      It is now possible to reduce the period of low white blood cell counts by using agents called hematopoietic
  growth factors (such as G-CSF or GM-CSF). These normally occurring products can be isolated and
  administered in doses that accelerate the return of white blood cells after a transplant. These agents shorten the
  period of hospitalization and reduce the cost of the procedure.
• Bleeding  Platelets can usually be transfused easily, but for a few patients it is difficult to transfuse enough of
  them. For these patients, serious bleeding is a possibility.
• Graft rejection  This is a major risk, particularly for people having an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
  for aplastic anemia . The risk seems greater for those who have unrelated or less well matched allogeneic
  transplants. What usually happens is that the marrow function starts to come back, but then it disappears.
  This is a serious complication, but it can sometimes be overcome by a second transplant.