How long can one live with aplastic anemia?

Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
Updated on September 19, 2024
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The lifespan of patients with aplastic anemia depends on the type and the effectiveness of the treatment. Aplastic anemia is classified into acute aplastic anemia and chronic aplastic anemia. In cases of acute aplastic anemia, cure is possible through intensified immunotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; however, without aggressive treatment, the survival period is relatively short, generally not exceeding one year. Chronic aplastic anemia, on the other hand, has a longer medical history, and patients can often live for ten to twenty years or more. However, throughout this period, ongoing transfusions of red blood cells and platelets are required to support treatment.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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What to eat for aplastic anemia

Patients with aplastic anemia should eat light, easily digestible foods, and soft diet, avoiding too hard foods, and foods with spines or bones to prevent these foods from scratching the mucous membrane of the digestive tract and causing gastrointestinal bleeding. Additionally, patients with aplastic anemia must also take medications to control the progression of the disease, the related medications mainly include immunosuppressants, such as cyclosporine, as well as hematopoietic stimulants and traditional Chinese medicine formulations. Hematopoietic drugs include androgens, such as danazol and stanozolol, etc., and traditional Chinese medicines include compound alumite pills, rejuvenating blood tablets, etc. (Please use specific medications under the guidance of a doctor, and do not self-medicate.)

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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What causes aplastic anemia?

Aplastic anemia's exact causes are still not completely clear. Clinically, it is believed that immune dysfunction is a significant factor associated with aplastic anemia. Most cases of aplastic anemia can achieve good therapeutic outcomes through immunosuppressive treatment, which indirectly supports this view. However, some scholars believe that in aplastic anemia, there are patients for whom immunosuppressive treatment is ineffective. This suggests that other factors might exist, such as congenital anomalies in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, or abnormalities in the hematopoietic microenvironment, which may also play a role in the development of aplastic anemia.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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Aplastic anemia is caused by how?

Aplastic anemia currently still has an uncertain etiology. However, clinical observations have suggested that chemotherapy drugs, viral infections, and radiation exposure might be related to the occurrence and development of aplastic anemia. Regardless of the cause, these factors all involve abnormalities in immune function. Abnormal immune function leads to the occurrence and development of aplastic anemia. Therefore, immunosuppressive therapy is often effective for patients with aplastic anemia in clinical settings. (Medication use should be conducted under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

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Written by Li Fang Fang
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What medicine is used for aplastic anemia?

Aplastic anemia, whether acute or chronic, primarily uses immunosuppressive agents and hematopoietic stimulants for treatment. Cyclosporine is commonly used clinically among immunosuppressants, while the medicines stimulating bone marrow hematopoiesis mainly include androgens such as danazol and stanozolol. These medications all have associated adverse reactions: immunosuppressants can lead to hypertension, hyperglycemia, impaired liver and kidney function, and gum hypertrophy, while the main adverse reactions of hematopoietic androgens are liver damage. (Please use medications under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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What medicine is used to treat aplastic anemia?

Aplastic anemia is divided into acute aplastic anemia and chronic aplastic anemia. Patients with acute aplastic anemia require intensified immunotherapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from a sibling match. Intensified immunotherapy involves the simultaneous use of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine. The main treatments for chronic aplastic anemia are immunosuppressive therapy and stimulative hematopoiesis therapy. Immunotherapy primarily involves oral administration of cyclosporine; stimulative hematopoiesis therapy may include oral administration of Chinese patent medicines such as Zao Zeng Xue Pian, and danazol, an anabolic steroid. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor based on the specific circumstances.)