Aplastic Anemia

Aplastic Anemia is a bone marrow disease. What happens in the process is that the red blood cells are no longer made by your bone marrow. Along with the lack of red blood cells, there is also lacking white blood cells, and platelets to stay healthy. There are degrees of Aplastic Anemia from just a slight case up to very severe cases. The people that have this disease very badly are at a big risk for many infection types and bleeding out.

This anemia type is more uncommon, and seems to appear in other countries other than the US.

The cause is all bone marrow. Other than the problem with not making enough of the proper cells, radiation given in high doses can bring on the problem. Heredity can also play a certain role in the disease.

Symptomatology

From the lack of red blood cells, symptoms will appear such as:

Tiredness

Feeling weak

Shortness of breath

Paleness

When your platelets are in very low numbers, this is what can easily cause bleeding or bruising. There is also bleeding that is hard to stop.




Diagnosis

The doctors will take bone marrow samples by aspiration which uses a needle to take out some marrow for samples. Bone marrow biopsy is taken from the hip site to take out bone marrow that is intact.

If the anemia type is present, the samples will come up as showing low numbers of cells.

Treating the problem

Treatment for this anemia type involves blood transfusions if the problem is in severe stages.

Doctors will advise on ways to avoid infections since this makes the problem much worse, and also use what is called a growth factor. These are drugs that can aid the body in producing more red blood cells. This may help avoid more transfusions.

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