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Aplastic anemia is a condition where the bone marrow does not produce enough, or any, new cells to replenish the blood cells. One known cause is an autoimmune disorder, where the white blood cells attack the bone marrow. In many cases, the etiology is impossible to determine, but aplastic anemia is sometimes associated with exposure to substances such as benzine or to the use of certain drugs, including chloramphenicol and phenylbutazone.The term 'aplastic' refers to the inability of the marrow to function properly. Anemia is the condition of having fewer blood cells than normal, or fewer than needed to function properly. Typically, anemia refers to low red blood cell counts, but aplastic anemia patients have lower counts on all three blood cell types: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
1 Signs and symptoms
- Anemia with malaise, pallor and associated symptoms
- Thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts), leading to increased risk of hemorrhage and bruising
- NeutropeniaNeutropenia is a haematological disorder characterised by an abnormally low number of neutrophil granulocytes (a type of white blood cell). Neutrophils usually make up 50-70% of circulating white blood cells and serve as the primary defence against infect
2 Diagnosis
The diagnosis can only be made on bone marrow biopsy . Before this procedure is undertaken, a patient will generally have had other blood testBlood tests are laboratory tests done on blood to gain an appreciation of disease states and the function of organs. Since blood flows throughout the body, providing oxygen and other nutrients, and drawing waste products back to the excretory systems fors to find diagnostic clues, including a full blood countA full blood count FBC or complete blood count CBC is a test requested by a doctor or other medical professional that gives information about the cells in a patient's blood. Automated blood count Blood for a FBC is usually taken into an EDTA tube to stop, renal functionIn medicine ( nephrology) renal function is an indication of the state of the kidney and its role in physiology. Indirect markers Most doctors use creatinine, urea and electrolytes to determine renal function''. These measures are adequate to determine wh and electrolyteAn electrolyte is a substance which dissociates free ions when dissolved (or molten), to produce an electrically conductive medium. Because they generally consist of ions in solution, electrolytes are also known as ionic solutes . They are sometimes refers, liver enzymes, thyroidIn anatomy, the thyroid ( IPA theta;airo id) is an endocrine gland. It is situated on the front side of the neck at the level of C5 and T1 vertebral bodies, just below the Adam's apple, near the thyroid cartilage over the trachea but covered by layers of function tests, vitamin B12 and folic acid levels.
3 Treatment
Treating aplastic anemia involves suppression of the immune system, an effect achieved by daily medicine intake, or, in more severe cases, a bone marrow transplant, a curing but risky procedure. An interesting property of bone marrow transplants is the production of new white blood cells, an effect that removes the possibility of rejection. However, newly created white blood cells might reject the whole body instead (" graft-versus-host disease").
Steroids are generally ineffective, and many patients eventually receive mild chemotherapy to silence the immune system. This usually happens with the agents cyclophosphamide and vincristine.
