Life-saving bone marrow transplant performed on 7-YO child with rare immunodeficiency disorder

The doctors in the Department of Hematology & Stem Cell Transplantation at the Army Hospital (R&R) in Delhi Cantt have for the first time successfully conducted a life-saving Bone Marrow Transplant (commonly known as BMT) on a child diagnosed with a rare primary immunodeficiency disorder.

The successful transplant has now opened new doors of hope for children and families facing similar challenges. Sushant, 7 year-old son of Sepoy Pradip Paudel, was diagnosed with ARPC1b, a very rare form of immunodeficiency when he was just a year old. This is a condition that severely compromised his immune system making him prone to repeated life-threatening infections and other complications, reported PIB.

It was only six months back that the patient was referred to the Army Hospital (R&R). However, the patient did not have a HLA matched sibling donor.

The Haematology team at the Hospital, embarked on an arduous journey to find a suitable donor and orchestrate a meticulously planned bone marrow transplant, the report said. The Matched Unrelated Donor (MUD) transplant was carried out on November 30, 2023.

Senior Advisor in the Haematology department Col Rajiv Kumar said, “Only 1 in 5 patients have a sibling with a full HLA match. The availability of HLA matched Unrelated donor stem cells, sourced in this patient from DATRI, is truly a game changer for such patients suffering from a life-threatening immunodeficiency disorder.”