Bone Marrow Transplants
- Sometimes called a stem cell transplants
- No longer used, but was used in the past
- In these transplants, the bone marrow of a person with sickle cell was replaced with that of a healthy person
- The procedure was ineffective because it was difficult trying to find a donor, it was very risky, and it can could cause death
Pain Relievers
Penicillin
- Used to prevent infections in anemic children
- Usually given to children from the age two months to five years
Blood Transfusions
- Given to patients with a high risk of having a stroke
- Given to them regularly
- In a transfusion, the patient is phlebotomized (the action of taking a certain amount of blood from the patient) and then given a certain amount of healthy, donated blood
Deferasirox (Exjade)
- Exjade is an oral medication that decreases the iron level in ones body
- This is usually given to patients who regularly receive blood transfusions because the transfusions results in a rapid increase of the iron in the body