Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of a combined immunotherapy, high-dose immunoglobulin (HDIG) plus cyclosporine A (CsA) plus prednisone (P), in children with aplastic anemia (AA) and to explore the association of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets, peripheral blood cells and marrow CD34+ cells with therapeutic effects in AA.
Methods: The clinical data of 46 children with AA and who received the combined immunotherapy of HDIG + CsA + P were retrospectively studied.
Results: Of the 46 children with AA, 31 (67.4%) were responded to the combined immunotherapy. The binary logistic regression analysis showed low absolute neutrophil count (B=4.703, p<0.05), low percentage of peripheral blood CD4+ cells (B=0.142, p<0.05) and low ratio of peripheral blood CD4+/CD8+ (B=2.945, p<0.05)were associated with poor therapeutic effects. The ratio of CD34+/karyocytes of bone marrow in children with AA was lower than that in normal individuals, but it was not significantly related to the therapeutic effect.
Conclusions: The combined immunotherapy (HDIG+CsA+P) was effective in children with AA. The absolute neutrophilcount, the percentage of peripheral blood CD4+ and the ratio of peripheral blood CD4+/CD8+ were important prognostic factors in AA.