refractory hypoplastic anemia

[BDANDFAM3]

i got the results of my bone marrow today, don't have lukemia thank God. doc said i have refratory hypoplastic anemia also says on the report

hypoplastic marrow with normal bone marrow cytogentics

i have tried to look this up i am just geting confused
anybody that can explain this in layman's terms i would appericate it
thank you

[Ruth Cuadra]

Hi, BDANDFAM3.

Glad you found us. I hope we can help you understand some of the basic facts about the diagnosis you've received.

Hypoplastic anemia means that your marrow is essentially empty (hypoplastic) and so can't produce enough red blood cells. The result is anemia. Your hemoglobin is probably low and you may have low white cell and platelet counts, too. Refractory anemia is one that does not respond to treatment, but since you have just been diagnosed I suspect this word is being used to indicate your anemia is based on the poor condition of your marrow rather than some other cause such as low iron.

Hypoplastic anemia is also called aplastic anemia. The usual treatment is an immunosuppressive drug called ATG (anti-thymocyte globulin), which is administered in a hospital over a few days. I had ATG when I was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 1996. It's generally well tolerated but it can take months to a year or more to recover your marrow function.

Normal cytogenetics is the good news here. It means that your bone marrow does not show any abnormal genes. The presence of any abnormalities would indicate a diagnosis of myleodysplastic syndrome (MDS) rather than anemia and the treatments for MDS are different.

If you haven't already done so, I recommend contacting the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation and asking for their information packet for new patients. You're most welcome to post your questions here, too. Our members understand your situation and are a great source of information.

Regards,
Ruth Cuadra