[Pathophysiology of aplastic anemia and its treatment with methenolone enanthate]

For the development of an aplastic anaemia a large number of causes is taken into consideration. In our own clinical material of 26 patients in 15 patients none of the up to now known noxae could be established. Recently in the clarification of the picture of the disease important pathophysiological realizations were got. In these cases disturbances of the stem cell compartments, effects through the matrix of the haematopoietic cells and immunological processes have been recognized as significant. --Own investigations concerning the therapy with the anabolic metenolonenanthat (Primobolan-S) yielded approximately the same large number of therapeutic failures and patients with a good result of the treatment or a partial remission in 15 idiopathic and 11 toxically conditioned anaemias. In the partial remissions in most cases a thrombocytopenia continued existing. A therapy lasting at least two months is necessary in order to estimate the result of the therapy. At the present time cannot yet be predicted on which conditions the use of anabolics will be successful.