Blood Center after Professor R.Yolyan

7 Nersisyan str., Yerevan, Armenia

The children’s hematological department was firstly established in 1968 in Armenia’s multifunctional children’s hospital. In 1983 it was remade into Hematological centre where children of age 0 – 18 with blood diseases are being treated. The centre can host 30 children. At the mean time staff includes 6 children’s hematologists, psychologist, specialized teacher and 9 nurses. Since 1994 the doctors have been periodically trained in leading clinics of SSRS, Germany, USA and Austria. Most of the children in hospital are suffering from hemoblastosis. Each year 30 – 35 children with initial stage of acute leucosis, lymphogranulematosis and lymphoma are being treated in the centre. The highest risk to get the diseases for children is the age of 2, 5 – 5 years old. In a rate of 1, 5: 1 boys get ill more often. Since 1987, the treatment was made under the program “Aur”, and in 1991 modified methods of intensive chemotherapy BFM (Berlin – Frankfurt - Munster) have been adopted to treat children with acute leucosis. The methods were fully included in medical practice in 1994 – 1995 and the success in healing 70 – 90 % of acute leukemia cases was reached. Moreover, using these methods the period of living without recidive more than 5 years was increased from 0 – 4 % to 40 – 65 % of children. As a result of these innovative methods used in Armenia, in years 1995 – 2005 260 children fully recovered and came back into active life: going to school, working and having healthy children. In spite of the success in healing acute leucosis, reached results are not satisfying. The diseases like leucosis, recidives and other types of illnesses are resistant to chemotherapy. In clinical practice there is often a need of using intensive block therapy with high doses of metotrexes. This method lets provide treatment without X – rays for patient’s group of standard risk. There is also a need of creating a department of transplantation of stem blood cells not only for patients with hemoblastosis, but also for children with heritable blood pathologies.