Conditions & Treatments

We treat a wide range of hematological conditions in children. We have dedicated programs geared to diagnosing and treating hemophilia, sickle cell disease, and thrombophilia. In addition, we routinely treat a variety of other pediatric blood conditions.

Mount Sinai Health System’s pediatric blood treatment programs include:

• The Comprehensive Hemophilia Treatment Center, an international training center, provides diagnosis and treatment to children with hemophilia and other congenital bleeding disorders.  Our comprehensive approach to patients with chronic bleeding disorders has been shown to greatly improve outcomes and quality of life. We were one of the first medical centers in the country to establish a multidisciplinary treatment center staffed by dedicated individuals with specific expertise and experience in the care of children and adults with hemophilia. The Hemophilia Treatment Center is part of a network of federally funded hemophilia centers. Mount Sinai is the Regional Grantee for the New York metropolitan region.
• The Sickle Cell Program is comprehensive and provides holistic care. You and your children have access to social workers, genetic counselors, cardiologists, pulmonologists, neurologists, and psychologists. Together with our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit staff, we treat the most life-threatening complications such as stroke and acute chest syndrome. The blood bank provides accessibility to apheresis, a type of blood donation, for emergencies. We work closely with your child’s pediatrician in diagnosis, treatment, and addressing any complications, as well as providing patient and family education. We provide your child and family opportunities to participate in support groups, camps, and other extracurricular activities. We also provide information about the disease through the library, the Internet, and group discussion.
• The Thrombophilia Program administers the latest tests to identify the cause of blood clots (also called thrombophilia) and uses the most effective medications to treat existing clots and prevent new ones from forming. Blood clots have become an important issue in pediatric hematology mainly because we have learned that genetics play a role, especially for central line-associated and spontaneous thrombosis.

In addition, we also treat a variety of other blood disorders.

• Red cell membrane or enzyme disorders
• Hemoglobinopathies
• Polycythemia
• Thrombocytosis
• Anemia
  • Nutritional anemias including iron deficiency anemia not responding to oral iron therapy
  • Hemolytic anemias including spherocytosis and other red cell membrane defects, G6PD deficiency, and other red cell enzyme deficiencies
  • Anemia secondary to hemoglobinopathy aplastic anemia (including Fanconi's anemia) including ITP

• Bleeding and clotting disorders including hemophilia, Von Willebrand disease, platelet function disorders, other coagulation defects, neutropenia autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Treatments

To treat hematological conditions, we perform many types of transplants. Our physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, and other members of our health care team work together to perform hematopoietic cell transplantation. This process treats cancerous (malignant) and non-cancerous (benign) illnesses using high-dose chemotherapy and/or powerful immunosuppressants. We often use radiation therapy as well. Our goal is to eliminate diseased bone marrow, which may contain cancer cells, and help the body to accept new immature (hematopoietic) blood cells.

Before we do any type of transplant, we need to make sure that the donor cells match the young patient’s cells, we use a process called human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, which requires a blood test. These antigens are proteins found in the surface of white blood cells (leukocytes).