Anemia

It’s entirely natural that you might be concerned, right now, about your child’s health; a diagnosis of anemia can be frightening. But you can rest assured that, at Children’s Hospital Boston, your child is in good hands.

How is anemia treated?

If your child has been diagnosed with anemia, you’ll naturally be eager to know how your child’s physician will treat it.

Depending on the specific cause of your child’s anemia, your child’s physician may recommend a variety of different treatments. Treatments for various forms of anemia may include:

• vitamin and mineral supplements
• change in your child's diet
• medication and/or discontinuing causative medications
• treatment of the underlying disorder
• surgery to remove spleen (if related to certain hemolytic anemias)
• blood transfusions, if necessary (to replace significant loss)
• antibiotics (if infection is the cause)
• stem cell transplant (for aplastic anemia/bone marrow failure) 

Will my child need long-term care?

Some forms of anemia, such as a nutritional deficiency, can be treated quickly and don’t require significant long-term follow-up care. In other cases, in which the anemia is caused by a genetic condition or other serious underlying disorder, your child may need regular follow-up by our hematologists. Your child’s physician can discuss your child’s specific care plan.

Learn more about our Anemia Program.

Coping and support

We understand that you may have a lot of questions when your child is diagnosed with anemia. What is the cause of the anemia? Will it affect my child long-term? We’ve tried to provide some answers to those questions in the following pages, but there are also a number of other resources to help you and your family through this difficult time.

Patient education: From the first visit through follow-up care, our nurses will be on hand to walk you through your child’s treatment and help answer any questions you may have — What treatment will my child required? Will my child require ongoing follow-up care? They will also reach out to you by phone, continuing the care and support you received while at Children’s.
 
Parent to parent: Want to talk with someone whose child has been treated for the same form of anemia? We can often put you in touch with other families who have been through the same experience that you and your child are facing.
 
Faith-based support: If you are in need of spiritual support, we will help connect you with the Children’s chaplaincy. Our program includes nearly a dozen clergy representing Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Unitarian and United Church of Christ traditions who will listen to you, pray with you and help you observe your own faith practices during your hospital experience.
 
Social work and mental health professionals: Our social workers and mental health clinicians have helped many other families in your situation. We can offer counseling and assistance with issues such as coping with your child’s diagnosis, stresses relating to coping with illness and dealing with financial difficulties.

Want more information? Check out our For Patients and Families site for details on:

• getting to Children’s
• accommodations
• navigating the hospital experience
• resources that are available for your family