I'm still here!

[Alex]

Hi all,
Well to Neil and Ruth Cuadra and Vince Wessling – Thank you for this great website.

I'm Alex Koshy 26 years old and was diagnosed with SAA -Nov 2004.For me it started with Jaundice which persisted for over 4 months.
Luckily, had a HLA match with my sis (donor) and underwent a stem cell transplant in Dec-2004.

Counts have been really good since then, but I have developed chronic GVHD since 2005.To tackle this menace, I have had almost all possible drugs (sirolumus, prednisoline (steroids ) and now Mycophenolate) to get it under control.

BTW i live in Bangalore, India and i have a feeling i may be the first Indian here.

[Ruth Cuadra]

Hi, Alex.

You probably are the first person from India to post at Marrowforums! Thanks for joining us.

Have you been involved at all with the Aplastic Anemia Association of India? I am sure they would love to hear from someone who has had a successful bone marrow transplant for AA.

Dr. Surapol Issaragrisil of the University of Thailand in Bangkok has directed a study of the epidemiology of AA in Thailand. Apparently the disease occurs more frequently in Asia than in the West, with incidence rates 2 to 3 times higher.

I know that most cases of AA are idiopathic, that is the origin is unknown. But I wonder if you know of anything in your history or environment that might have contributed to your AA?

Regards,
Ruth

[Alex]

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Originally Posted by Ruth Cuadra

Hi, Alex.

You probably are the first person from India to post at Marrowforums! Thanks for joining us.

Have you been involved at all with the Aplastic Anemia Association of India? I am sure they would love to hear from someone who has had a successful bone marrow transplant for AA.

Dr. Surapol Issaragrisil of the University of Thailand in Bangkok has directed a study of the epidemiology of AA in Thailand. Apparently the disease occurs more frequently in Asia than in the West, with incidence rates 2 to 3 times higher.

I know that most cases of AA are idiopathic, that is the origin is unknown. But I wonder if you know of anything in your history or environment that might have contributed to your AA?

Regards,
Ruth

Hi Ruth,

Well I'm glad to be part of this forum.

Yes I'm aware of the India forum. They are doing some great work in giving information and helping people understand AA better. I’m afraid they don’t have much interaction on the web lately...

I have heard that one - AA in Asia is higher compared to the West.
In India, there has been an increase of AA patients seeking treatment. Unfortunately there is not much Research happening in this part of the world(At least in India).Last year,the number of AA treated in the hospital that i visit (Christian Medical College, Vellore)was around 60. But i think the figure is much higher than that.Most patients seeking treatment find the cost of treatment high(around $25000) and the non-existence of health insurance.


Hmm.. the cause of my AA - Doctors couldn't really pinpoint.
However, an episode of Jaundice prior to the detection of AA is seen in most cases.