Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare, acquired, progressive and life-threatening blood disease. Red blood cells in a person with PNH are attacked by the immune system because they lack a special protein. The destruction of red blood cells is called hemolysis, and the contents of the destroyed red blood cells get into the blood stream. Additional complications include thrombosis and bone marrow failure.
PNH affects one to two people per million and is diagnosed most often between 35 to 40 years of age. Occasionally children and adolescents may be diagnosed. About 30 percent of those diagnosed have had aplastic anemia as well.
Outstanding Care Team
The medical team at Seattle Children's, a parent organization of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, has a long history of successfully caring for children and teens diagnosed with PNH. These renowned specialists work together to improve your child's quality of life and conquer this disease.
Medical therapy for PNH is provided at Seattle Children's. If your child's health-care team determines that the best course of action is a bone marrow transplant, your child will receive this treatment through Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, ranked first in outcomes in a four-year study by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) that measured one-year survival rates of patients among 122 transplant centers in the United States.