Bone marrow transplant or BMT for sickle cell anemia cost in India

Bone marrow transplant for sickle cell anemia cost in India is 25000-35000 USD with 28-45 days hospital stay. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a common inherited blood disorder in which red blood cells take the shape of a Sickle and are rigid and unbending (unlike regular blood cells). These cells die ten times faster than regular blood cells , which leads to anemia. When too numerous cells are sickle shaped (and rigid) due to sickle crisis, pain occurs because the rigid cells clog the flow of blood in small vessels.

Thanks to Bone Marrow Transplant is the only curative option in sickle cell anemia.

How Bone Marrow Transplantation Can Help Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or Hematopoietic stem cell transplant is a non-surgical procedure that infuses healthy cells into the body. It is used to treat blood disorders like Aplastic anaemia , Sickle cell anaemia and Thalassemia. In the procedure, healthy stem cells taken from the bone marrow , blood, or umbilical cord are used to replace cancerous or faulty blood cells. The stem cell transplant can be of three types - Autologous (Self-donate stem cells), Allogeneic (Matched / stem cells from a donor), or Syngeneic (Only possible for identical twins).

Procedure Needed : Allogeneic Bone Marrow (Stem Cell) Transplant.

Allogeneic bone marrow or stem cell transplant (Matched / stem cells from a donor). Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) is typically recommended to treat certain medical conditions where the bone marrow is dysfunctional.

To look for options for allogenic bone marrow transplant HLA typing of patient and sibling should be performed. 

If there is any sibling they should be tested for HLA typing. HLA typing of parents can be done as some time we are getting full match with parents. In case of non-availability of familial donor unrelated matched donor may be considered.

If this procedure is performed with half-matched stem cells, it is called haploidentical bone marrow transplant . Careful preparation is required for successful results, which include a conditioning for patients with sickle cell . It might take up to several weeks for healthy , cells to grow after the bone marrow transplant procedure.

Most Important Pre-requisite: Stem cell donor (It could be HLA matched sibling/ Parents: HLA typing of patient and sibling/ Parents is needed to identify suitable donor).