Allogeneic bone marrow transplant in a child with thalassaemia

Transfusion dependent thalassaemia is a significant problem in Sri Lanka. In a study published in 2000, it was estimated that there were approximately 2000 transfusion dependent beta thalassaemia and HbE patients in Sri Lanka and the expenditure on them accounted for approximately 5% of the recurrent health budget of the country [1]. This number has by and large remained static over the past decade. An Italian group reported in 2006, that the mean cost of treatment for thalassaemia major was € 1242/patient/month with 55.5% of it attributed to iron chelation therapy and 33.2% attributed to blood transfusion [2]. Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is the only established cure for thalassaemia at present.