Aplastic anemia is decreased RBC count due to bone marrow failure/damage. This causes deficiencies not only in the red blood cells, but also in white blood cells and platelets.
Causes
Causes for aplastic anemia include:
- Inherited (congenital): caused by gene defects
- Autoimmune diseases where white blood cells attack the bone marrow
- Infections such as HIV
- Exposure to certain drugs and radiation
- in about half the cases, the cause is unknown
Symptoms
In addition to the usual symptoms of anemia, the low platelet count causes frequent bruising and nosebleeds, while the low white blood cell count increases infection.
Diagnosis and treatment
Once anemia has been determined by a RBC count, aplastic anemia is usually found via a bone marrow biopsy, where the doctors take a piece of the patient's bone marrow and examine it. If the stem cells in it are unhealthy or dead, aplastic anemia is diagnosed.
Treatment usually involves a blood transfusion or bone marrow transplant; there's no dietary supplement or other types of surgery that can treat this type of anemia.
Treatment usually involves a blood transfusion or bone marrow transplant; there's no dietary supplement or other types of surgery that can treat this type of anemia.