Prospects for Research in Hematologic Disorders

Prospects for research in hematologic disorders: sickle cell disease and thalassemia.

Sickle cell anemia and thalassemia constitute the most common genetic diseases in the world. Affected patients carry a heavy burden of morbidity and early mortality. With improved understanding of the pathophysiology and molecular basis of these diseases, treatment is evolving from management of symptoms to more effective strategies that aim to modify diseased red blood cells or replace them wi...

Abnormal ("ringed") sideroblasts in various hematologic and non-hematologic disorders.

Vascular complications after splenectomy for hematologic disorders.

The most widely recognized long-term risk of splenectomy is overwhelming bacterial infection. More recently, thrombosis has become appreciated as another potential complication of the procedure. Because of these long-term risks, the indications for and timing of splenectomy are debated in the medical community. Accordingly, the adverse effects and benefits of splenectomy for hematologic disorde...

Parvovirus-B19 and hematologic disorders.

Parvovirus-B19 (PV-B19) is a member of Parvoviridae, which is one of the smallest DNA viruses. PV-B19-associated diseases usually serve as a good representation of the balance of virus, host response and the immune system. The diseases manifested with PV-B19 are erythema infectiosum, which is common in children, hydrops fetalis, transient pure red cell aplasia in patients with chronic hemolytic...

Subcutaneous erythropoietin for treatment of refractory anemia in hematologic disorders.

We have used recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) in a phase 1/11 clinical trial to evaluate its ability to reverse refractory anemia in hematologic disorders. rHuEPO was administered subcutaneously 5 days per week at escalating doses (50 t o 150 U/kg per day). The aim of treatment was a hemoglobin (Hb) level 2 10 g/dL without blood transfusion. Of 25 patients treated, 17 were evaluable, m...