Survival in primary a plastic anaemia; experience with 20 cases from a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Background: Aplastic anaemia is a condition characterized by pancytopenia and unexplained bone marrow hypocellularity. Without treatment, it is invariably fatal. However with the currently available treatment options, patient survival is improving in the developed countries. Methods: The study is a retrospective study. We reviewed the cases of primary aplastic anaemia managed in our hospital over a period of fifteen years. Results: A total of twenty five cases were seen; out of which twenty had complete analyzable data. Management consisted of transfusion support with packed red cells, platelet concentrates and freshly collected unbanked blood; immunosuppressive therapy was with methyl prednisolone. None of the patients had the benefit of bone marrow/stem cell transplantation. Overall median survival was 6.5 weeks. Conclusions: There is a clear need to ensure the availability of proven therapeutic options for patients such as bone marrow/stem cell transplantation and drugs such as cyclosporine and antithymocyte lobulin to improve on the present situation. Keywords: Aplastic anaemia; survival, Nigeria.