Aplastic Hypoplastic Anemias - Symptom, Causes, Treatment

Aplastic anemia, or hypoplastic anemia, results from conditions in which blood cell production in the bone marrow or erythrocyte stem cells are underdeveloped, defective, or absent. Other cases of aplastic anemia are secondary and are caused by radiation, chemicals or viruses. The term aplastic anemia commonly implies a panhypoplasia of the marrow with associated leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. The theoretical basis for marrow failure includes primary defects in or damage to the stem cell or the marrow microenvironment. Aplastic anemia is a syndrome of bone-marrow failure characterized by peripheral pancytopenia and marrow hypoplasia.

Causes of Aplastic Hypoplastic Anemias

Common causes and risk factor's of Aplastic Hypoplastic Anemias include the following :

• Cancer Chemotherapy.
• Radiation therapy.
• Cartilage hair hypoplasia.
• Pregnancy.
• History of an autoimmune disease.
• Shwachman-Diamond syndrome.
• Exposure to certain toxins such as heavy metals.
• Some forms may be associated with thymomas (the types that only affect red blood cells .
• History of specific infectious diseases such as infectious hepatitis.

Symptoms of Aplastic Hypoplastic Anemias

Some of the common sign and symptoms of the disease Aplastic Hypoplastic Anemias are as follows:

• Fatigue.
• Shortness of breath.
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Headache.
• Infections.
• Bleeding in gums.
• Weakness.
• Nosebleeds.
• Bleeding under skin.

Treatment of Aplastic Hypoplastic Anemias

Find effective treatment methods of treating Aplastic Hypoplastic Anemias:

• Supportive therapy such as oxygen may be needed
• Antithymocyte Globulin (suppresses immune system to treat autoimmune cause, i.e., stops the body from mistakenly attacking the bone marrow).
• Bone marrow transplantation is the treatment of choice for severe aplasia and for those who need constant RBC replacement.
• Blood Transfusions
• Antibiotics are not given prophylactically because they tend to encourage resistant strains of organisms.
• Cyclosporin (used with Antithymocyte Globulin)
• G-CSF & GM-CSF (stimulate white blood cell production)
• Cyclophosphamide and predisone are also used in some cases.

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