Aplastic Anemia

Aplastic anemia is a rare disease that affects fewer than 1,000 people each year in the United States. Aplastic anemia is characterized by the deficiency of the bone marrow to produce enough red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A decreased number of red blood cells in the body causes the hemoglobin to drop, which decreases the amount of oxygen that is carried by the cells. When there are too few white blood cells in the body, the patient is more vulnerable to infection. Platelets allow blood to clot, thus when there are too few platelets, a patient may bruise or bleed easily.

About half of the cases of aplastic anemia are idiopathic, meaning they occur sporadically. The other half of cases can be linked to causes such as the use of certain drugs, radiation, viruses, pregnancy, insecticides, and exposure to toxic chemicals such as benzene. Benzene is a known human carcinogen, meaning it has the potential to cause cancer. Benzene is often linked to leukemia and other blood related diseases, such as aplastic anemia.

Patients who are suffering from aplastic anemia often experience symptoms that are very common to a variety of blood disorders and other medical problems. This makes the disease difficult to recognize. Symptoms may include the following:

• bruising
• nausea
• shortness of breath
• fatigue
• pale skin
• fever
• dizziness

The first step toward a diagnosis of aplastic anemia is to have a blood test. A doctor will examine the blood sample to determine the number of red cells, white cells, and platelets that exist in the blood. If there is a shortage of two or more of these types of blood cells, a diagnosis of aplastic anemia is a possibility. To get a firm diagnosis the doctor typically has to examine a small sample of the patient's bone marrow.

After being diagnosed with aplastic anemia, the next step is to determine what treatment options are available to the patient. Blood transfusions are the most common form of short-term treatment and can help restore red blood cells and platelets to the body. Due to the short life of white blood cells (typically one day or less), transfusions are not an effective method of restoring these cells to the body.
Another common form of treatment for aplastic anemia patients is drug therapy. The two most common drugs used to treat aplastic anemia are immunosuppressive drugs and growth factors. Immunosuppressive drugs weaken the immune system of the patient so that his/her body will be more accepting of transplants. Growth factors are used to stimulate the growth of new cells in the patient's body.

To achieve long-term results, the best option for treatment is often a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. When considering a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, the patient and doctor should think about the following factors: the age of the patient, the compatibility of a possible donor, and the overall health of the patient. 

For more detailed information see the National Cancer Institute's information page on bone marrow failure syndromes.