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A health story in The Mirror recently reported that a Crohn's Disease patient had been "cured" after his sister donated stem cells to him.
Our view: Stem cell transplant "cure" for Crohn's Disease
The patient received stem cells to treat haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) - a life threatening condition unrelated to Crohn's Disease.
In addition to curing the HLH he found that his Crohn's Disease symptoms had also improved.
Here is our medical expert's view on the story:
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The role of stem cell transplantation in the treatment of some diseases has become well established but is not without risks, some of which can be life threatening. Stem cell transplant has been carried out in Crohn's Disease and further studies are currently being planned to see if the treatment can be done in such a way to decrease some of the risks involved. Initial studies suggest the treatment is effective, but not necessarily curative and it is still not clear in which patients the benefits will outweigh the risks.
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