Aplastic Anemia - Prognosis

Prognosis

If the disease is diagnosed correctly and initial treatment is begun promptly, then the survival rate for the next five to ten years is substantially improved, and many patients live well beyond that length of time. Untreated aplastic anemia leads to rapid death, typically within six months.

Survival rates vary significantly depending on age and availability of a well matched sibling donor. Five year survival rates for patients who receive transplants has been shown to be 82% for patients underneath the age of 20, 72% for those 20-40 years of age and closer to 50% for patients over the age of 40. Success rates are better for patients who have donors that are matched siblings and worse for patients who receive their marrow from unrelated donors. Most successful BMT recipients eventually reach a point where they consider themselves cured for all practical purposes, although they need to be compliant with follow-up care permanently.

Older people (who are generally too frail to undergo bone marrow transplants) and people who are unable to find a good bone marrow match, who undergo immune suppression have five year survival rates of up to 75%.

Occasionally, milder cases of the disease resolve on their own. Relapses of previously controlled disease are, however, much more common. Relapse following ATG/cyclosporin use can sometimes be treated with a repeated course of therapy. In addition, Severe Aplastic Anemia has been known on occasion (10-15% of the time) to evolve into MDS and leukemia.