Aplastic anemia is a condition that occurs when your body stops producing enough new blood cells. The condition leaves you fatigued and more prone to infections and uncontrolled bleeding. It can develop at any age suddenly, or it can come on slowly and worsen over time. It can be mild or severe.
Aplastic anemia can be short-lived, or it can become chronic. It can be severe and evenfatal.
Few symptoms Include:
Aplastic anemia is caused by damage to the bone marrow. Some scientists believe that aplastic anemia may be an autoimmune condition. In autoimmune diseases, the body attacks its own cells like an infection. Other possible causes include:
Although rare, it is possible that aplastic anemia can be inherited. Aplastic anemia is not caused by iron deficiency.
The following tests can help diagnose aplastic anemia:
Treatments for aplastic anemia, which will depend on the severity of your condition and your age, might include observation, blood transfusions, medications, or bone marrow transplantation.
Although not a cure for aplastic anemia, blood transfusions can control bleeding and relieve symptoms by providing blood cells your bone marrow isn't producing. You might receive:
Red blood cells. These raise red blood cell counts and help relieve anemia and fatigue.
Platelets. These help prevent excessive bleeding. While there's generally no limit to the number of blood transfusions you can have, complications can sometimes arise with multiple transfusions. Transfused red blood cells contain iron that can accumulate in your body and can damage vital organs if an iron overload isn't treated. Medications can help rid your body of excess iron.Over time your body can develop antibodies to transfused blood cells, making them less effective at relieving symptoms. The use of immunosuppressant medication makes this complication less likely.
A stem cell transplant to rebuild the bone marrow with stem cells from a donor might be the only successful treatment option for people with severe aplastic anemia. A stem cell transplant, also called a bone marrow transplant, is generally the treatment of choice for people who are younger and have a matching donor — most often a sibling. If a donor is found, your diseased bone marrow is first depleted with radiation or chemotherapy. Healthy stem cells from the donor are filtered from the blood. The healthy stem cells are injected intravenously into your bloodstream, where they migrate to the bone marrow cavities and begin creating new blood cells.The procedure requires a lengthy hospital stay. After the transplant, you'll receive drugs to help prevent rejection of the donated stem cells. A stem cell transplant carries risks. Your body may reject the transplant, leading to life-threatening complications. In addition, not everyone is a candidate for transplantation or can find a suitable donor.
For people who can't undergo a bone marrow transplant or for those whose aplastic anemia is due to an autoimmune disorder, treatment can involve drugs that alter or suppress the immune system (immunosuppressants). This helps your bone marrow recover and generate new blood cells. Cyclosporine and anti-thymocyte globulin are often used together. Corticosteroids, such as methylprednisolone (Medrol, Solu-Medrol), are often used with these drugs. Although effective, these drugs further weaken your immune system. It's also possible for anemia to return after you stop these drugs.
Certain drugs — including colony-stimulating factors, such as sargramostim (Leukine), filgrastim (Neupogen) and pegfilgrastim (Neulasta), epoetin alfa (Epogen/Procrit), and eltrombopag (Promacta) — help stimulate the bone marrow to produce new blood cells. Growth factors are often used with immune-suppressing drugs.
Having aplastic anemia weakens your immune system, which leaves you more prone to infections. If you have aplastic anemia, see your doctor at the first sign of infection, such as a fever. You don't want the infection to get worse, because it could prove life-threatening. If you have severe aplastic anemia, your doctor might prescribe antibiotics or antiviral medications to help prevent infections.
Aplastic anemia caused by radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer usually improves after those treatments stop. The same is true for most other drugs that induce aplastic anemia. Pregnant women with aplastic anemia are treated with blood transfusions. For many women, pregnancy-related aplastic anemia improves once the pregnancy ends. If that doesn't happen, treatment is still necessary.
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Frequently asked questions
Q.What are the common early signs of aplastic anemia?
Q. Is aplastic anemia curable?
There is not a completely cure for aplastic anemia, However,blood transfusions can control bleeding and relieve symptoms by providing blood cells your bone marrow isn't producing.
Q.Who is at risk for aplastic anemia?
People of all ages can develop aplastic anemia. However, it's most common in adolescents, young adults, and the elderly. Men and women are equally likely to have it. The disorder is two to three times more common in Asian countries.
Q.Does aplastic anemia run in families?
Hereditary aplastic anemia is passed down through the genes from parent to child. It is usually diagnosed in childhood and is much less common than acquired aplastic anemia. People who develop hereditary aplastic anemia usually have other genetic or developmental abnormalities that cause the aplastic anemia.
Q.How can I increase my bone marrow naturally?
Q.What is the cut off age for a bone marrow transplant?
When it comes to identifying a marrow donor, doctors weigh many factors. One factor is the age of the donor. Medical research has shown that cells from younger donors lead to better long-term survival for patients after transplant. Doctors request donors in the 18-44 age group.
