Treatment

Doctors will sometimes refer to certain treatments as supportive therapy or  supportive care supportive care: Care given to improve the quality of life, or comfort, of a person with a chronic illness. Supportive care treats the symptoms rather than the underlying cause of a disease. The goal is to help the patient feel better. Patients with low blood counts may be given blood transfusions as supportive… . They help you manage the symptoms of your disease, although they do not treat the underlying cause of the disease.

In general, supportive care includes the following:

• Blood transfusions Blood transfusions: A blood transfusion is a safe and common procedure. Most people who have a bone marrow failure disease like aplastic anemia, MDS or PNH will receive at least one blood transfusion. When you receive a blood transfusion, parts of blood from a donor are put into your bloodstream. This can help some… to raise blood cell counts
• Antibiotics Antibiotics: The most common white blood cells are called neutrophils. They fight infection. Patients who don't have enough healthy neutrophils are said to have neutropenia. Because of their low white count, they may get infections easily and have trouble getting rid of infections. If you have neutropenia,… to treat infection
• Iron chelation therapy Iron chelation therapy: (kee-LAY-shun) A drug therapy to remove extra iron from the body. Patients with high blood iron (ferritin) levels may receive iron chelation therapy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administratin (FDA) has approved two iron chelators to treat iron overload in the U.S. - deferasirox, an oral iron chelator,… to treat iron overload iron overload: A condition that occurs when too much iron accumulates in the body. Bone marrow failure disease patients who need regular red blood cell transfusions are at risk for iron overload. Organ damage can occur if iron overload is not treated. , a side effect of having many red blood cell red blood cell: The most numerous type of blood cell in healthy people. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that picks up oxygen in the lungs and brings it to cells in all parts of the body. Also called erythrocyte, RBC.       transfusions
• Growth factors Growth factors: Growth factors are naturally occurring hormones in your body that signal your bone marrow to make more of certain types of blood cells. Man-made growth factors may be given to some people with bone marrow failure diseases to help increase red blood cell, white blood cell or platelet counts. Red… that are man-made versions of natural hormones that tell your body to make more blood cells.

Watchful waiting is an approach your doctor might suggest if your blood counts are not too low and your symptoms are not too bad. Your doctor will want to closely monitor your condition without giving any treatment, unless symptoms appear or change. This approach may be recommended in the early stages of aplastic anemia aplastic anemia: (ay-PLASS-tik uh-NEE_mee-uh) A rare and serious condition in which the bone marrow fails to make enough blood cells - red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The term aplastic is a Greek word meaning not to form. Anemia is a condition that happens when red blood cell count is low. Most… , myelodysplastic syndromes myelodysplastic syndromes: (my-eh-lo-diss-PLASS-tik SIN-dromez) A group of disorders where the bone marrow does not work well, and the bone marrow cells fail to make enough healthy blood cells. Myelo refers to the bone marrow. Dysplastic means abnormal growth or development. People with MDS have low blood cell count for at… (MDS) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: (par-uk-SIZ-muhl nok-TURN-uhl hee-muh-gloe-buh-NYOOR-ee-uh) A rare and serious blood disease that causes red blood cells to break apart. Paroxysmal means sudden and irregular. Nocturnal means at night. Hemoglobinuria means hemoglobin in the urine. Hemoglobin is the red part of red blood cells. A… (PNH)