XLP is caused by a faulty gene on the X chromosome. It almost exclusively affects males. The most common age at the start of EBV symptoms is between two and three, with a range of onset between six months and 10 years. Currently, there aren t any adequate treatments for XLP and roughly 75 percent of patients die by age 10. But some doctors are successfully treating patients with stem cell transplants.
Stem cells are the basic building blocks for blood.
Patients getting a stem cell transplant receive high doses of chemotherapy to destroy their body s ability to reject the new stem cells. After a few days, the donor stem cells are transfused into the recipient through an intravenous line. The cells find their way into the bone marrow where they grow and rebuild the patient s immune system. Within the body, stem cells are mostly found in the bone marrow. The cells are harvested through a surgical procedure with the donor under general anesthesia.