Survival and quality of life in 23 patients with severe aplastic anemia treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT).

Survival and quality of life are reported in 23 pretransfused patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) who underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The projected survival is 76% with 18 of 23 patients being alive 332 to 1677 days post graft (median: 842). 5 patients died between day 4 and 416. 12 of 17 patients at risk developed chronic graft versus host disease (GVH-D). 4 of these patients have a diminished quality of life due GVH-D related disabling manifestations. Autologous haemopoietic recovery was excluded in all patients by the demonstration of haemopoietic chimerism. We recommand age-adapted rejection prophylaxis; such strategy may help to diminish disabling graft versus host disease in otherwise haematologically reconstituted survivors.