Abstract:

Objective To investigate both the short-term effect and side effects of anti-thymocyte  globulin (ATG) combined with cyclosporin A(CsA) therapy in patients with severe aplastic anemia(SAA) and provide basis for the treatment of SAA. Methods From December 2009 to May 2011,15 SAA patients treated by ATG combined with CsA therapy in our hospital were selected,the clinical effectiveness,the improvement of their symptoms after  treatment,the changes of peripheral blood cell counts and the incidence of different side effects in treatment period were observed.Results Among 15 patients,there were 10 patients reached the treatment assessment time point: 4 patients got　complete response(40.0%),4 got partial response(40.0%),while 1 patient had no　response(10.0%),1 patient died after ATG treatment(10.0%),the overall effective rate was 80.0%.The patients who responsed to this therapy got their blood cells recovery 1-2 months after treatment: the white blood cell counts and neutrophil counts recovered first,while the hemoglobin and platelet recovered at least 3 months after ATG treatment.During the ATG treatment,the most common side effect was varying degrees of acute allergic reaction and serum disease(53%),followed by infection(40%).Conclusion For the SAA patients who are not suitable for homatopoietic stem cell transplantation,ATG combined with CsA is a standard therapy,with a satisfactory curative effect.
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Key words:  severe aplastic anemia;immunosuppressive therapy, anti-thymocyte , globulin;cyclosporin A