|
Donor at
no risk of developing serious complications
Bone Marrow Transplantation
(BMT), or peripheral stem cell transplantation, is the treatment
of choice for a number of benign and malignant haematological disorders.
Allogeneic BMT is the only curative treatment option for aplastic
anaemia and thalassaemia major, blood disorders that are fairly
common in
Pakistan
.
 |
| Dr
Salman Adil, Consultant Haematologist and Transplant Physician
at ‘Signs, Symptoms and Care’ presentation, a public
health awareness programme organised by AKUH in Karachi on December
15. |
This was stated by Dr Salman
Adil, Consultant Haematologist and Transplant Physician at Aga Khan University
Hospital (AKUH), during a presentation at 'Signs, Symptoms and Care', a public
health awareness programme organised by AKUH in Karachi on December 15.
Allogeneic BMT is
also indicated in high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and acute myeloid
leukaemia. "An HLA [blood test] matched sibling donor is required for allogeneic
transplantation and the chances of finding a suitable match is high in Pakistani
given that family size in the country is generally large," explained Dr Adil.
Autologous BMT, he added, is the treatment of choice in relapsed Hodgkin's disease,
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myleoma. The bone marrow donor is at no
risk of developing any significant complications. However, the patient must
be kept in a special hospital environment for protection from infection until
the marrow starts functioning, said Dr Adil.
"Engraftment usually takes
10 to 15 days and hospital stay is usually between three and four weeks," he
elaborated. Excellent nursing care is the backbone of successful transplant,
and transfusion services with reliable round-the-clock laboratory support are
mandatory requirements. "Irradiated blood components are required throughout
the transplantation period and AKUH is the only hospital in the province with
this facility. This service is also offered to any hospital that requires irradiated
blood or components," Dr Adil remarked.
As part of its outreach
programme and societal commitment to creating awareness of early
diagnosis and timely treatment, AKUH has organised over 150 'Signs,
Symptoms and Care' programmes in
Karachi
,
Hyderabad
and the UAE, benefiting more than 33,000 people. Similarly,
Aga
Khan
University
Hospital
's
Patient Welfare Programme offers financial assistance to those patients
who are unable to afford the medical cost of their treatment. In
2003, 74 per cent of all patients treated at the AKUH were from
low- to middle-income areas. Since the inception of this welfare
programme in 1986, over Rs. 1.05 billion has been disbursed to more
than 200,000 needy patients.
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