Immunologie in de medische praktijk. XXXII. Transplantatie van autologe hematopoëtische stamcellen voor de behandeling van therapieresistente auto-immuunziekten; eerste gunstige ervaringen bij 35 patiënten

- The objective of this study was to document the experiences in the first Dutch pilot studies of the effect of transplantation of autologous haematopoietic stem cells in patients with therapy-resistant autoimmune disease. The first results in 21 adults and 14 children are promising: remission of the disease was achieved in 13 patients, while in the others a significant reduction of disease activity was seen with a corresponding improvement of the quality of life. Infectious complications were frequently observed. Two children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis developed a fatal infection-associated macrophage activation syndrome. Multicentre randomised studies are necessary to study the effects of autologous stem cell transplantation and modifications such as T-cell depletion.