Aplastic anemia
or anemia of bone-marrow failure
Inadequate blood-cell formation by bone marrow.
Pancytopenia is the lack of all blood-cell types
(erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets), but any combination may be missing.
Drug, chemical, or radiation exposure most often causes the disease, but about
half of all cases have no known cause. It may occur at any age. Acute disease
may be quickly severe, even fatal; chronic disease has symptoms including
weakness, shortness of breath, headache, fever, and pounding heart. There is
usually a waxy pallor. Hemorrhages occur in mucous membranes, skin, and other
organs. Lack of white blood cells lowers resistance to infection and becomes
the major cause of death. Very low platelet count may lead to severe bleeding.
The treatment of choice is bone-marrow transplantation. Otherwise treatment
involves avoiding any known toxic agent and giving fluids, glucose, and
proteins (often intravenously) as well as blood components and antibiotics.
Source: Britannica encyclopedia
