hematology and oncology
Aplastic Anemia
Introduction
Aplastic anemia is a disorder of the hematopoietic stem cell that results in a loss of blood cell precursors, hypoplasia or aplasia of bone marrow, and cytopenias in two or more cell lines (red blood cells, white blood cells, and/or platelets). Symptoms result from anemia, thrombocytopenia (petechiae, bleeding), or leukopenia (infections). Diagnosis requires demonstration of peripheral pancytopenia and a bone marrow biopsy revealing a hypocellular marrow. Treatment usually involves immunosuppression with equineantithymocyte globulinandcyclosporine, or bone marrow transplantation. (See also Overview of Decreased Erythropoiesis .) The term aplastic anemia commonly implies a panhypoplasia of the bone marrow with cytopenias in at least two hematopoietic lineages. In contrast, Pure Red Blood Cell Aplasia is restricted to the erythroid cell line. 