Aplastic Anemia

II. The Evaluation of Androgen and Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Therapy of Adult Aplastic Anemia

Abstract

It was reported in this paper on the therapeutic effects of androgens and anabolic androgenic steroids in 17 adult patients with aplastic anemia and to demonstrate the relationship between their effects and the degree of the initial bone marrow failure. The severity of the disease was classified into the three groups (mild, moderate, severe) by combination of four paramaters, neutrophil count, reticulocyte count, platelet count, and % marrow hematopoietic cell.
Remission defined by normalization of Hb levels without transfusion was obtained in all of 7 cases of mild degree and in 3 out of 9 cases of moderate degree, while one case of severe degree did not respond to oxymetholone. It is concluded from our results that the milder the initial bone marrow failure, the higher the remission rate with aplastic anemia.
The side effects of these drugs were also reported and, above all hepatoloxicity were discussed with reference to the blood transfusion and pretherapeutic hepatic disturbance.