Family Factors Affecting Bone Marrow Transplantation
Patricia L. Dobkina b, Roger-Michel Poirierc, Y Bonnyc
- aMcGill University, Department of Medicine, Montreal General Hospital, Que., Canada
- bMcGill University, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Montreal General Hospital, and
- cHôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont and the Université de Montreal, Montreal, Que., Canada
Papers open inside SciRah from the original publisher or repository; SciRah never hosts them.
Abstract
Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is the last resort for children with leukemia for whom conventional treatments have failed. The case presented herein is one of an adolescent girl whose parents were unable to cope with the extreme challenge of BMT. Couple- and family-related data collected prior to the BMT showed this family was at risk. Indeed, throughout the ordeal the patient seriously regressed and her parents' reactions appeared to exacerbate her condition. At discharge, when left alone, the patient manifested somatic symptoms which required her parents to attend to her needs. How family factors may influence BMT outcome is discussed.