Transplant may help children with arthritis Children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis that progresses despite aggressive medical treatment may be helped by a bone marrow transplant. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system attacks the joints, causing inflammation, pain and sometimes destroying the joint and bone. Writing in the Lancet, an international medical journal, doctors from the Netherlands said that four children 6 to 11 were given the transplant, which doctors hoped would get rid of the white blood cells that cause the inflammation.
Bone marrow contains stem cells, generic cells that can form any type of blood cells.
The children's marrow was purged of the cells responsible for causing their disease, and then returned to them. Between six and 18 months later, doctors said, the children had far less joint swelling and pain, and no longer needed to take anti-rheumatic drugs. Although results looked promising, they also warned the treatment remains high-risk, and should still be considered experimental. The Detroit News We welcome your comments .