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<div class="section1">Standard treatments for individuals with WAS include antibiotics for infections and platelet transfusions to limit bleeding. Immune globulin is given to strengthen the individual's immune system. Eczema can be treated with corticosteroid creams applied directly to the skin. The spleen is sometimes removed to reduce the risk of bleeding. In individuals with WAS, however, removal of the spleen also increases the risk of infection unless antibiotics are given to prevent infections. About 50% of individuals with WAS are helped by treatment with transfer factor, which is a substance derived from the T cells of a healthy person. Transfer factor is given to improve both blood clotting and immune functions. Bone marrow transplantation has been successful in a number of cases. It has been most successful in boys under five years of age where the donor is a sibling whose tissue type closely matches that of the individual with WAS. As of 2000, attempts were also being made to treat individuals with WAS with umbilical cord blood from unrelated newborns in cases where the individual diagnosed with WAS has no matched sibling donor.
Source: The Gale Group. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed.";
