Aplastic Anaemia

Question 1

What is aplastic anaemia?

Answer 1

when the bone marrow fails to produce enough of any of the cells found in the blood - leading to pancytopenia.

Question 2

What are the 3 main cells that are under produced in aplastic anaemia?

Answer 2

Red blood cells - Anaemia
Low platelets - thrombocytopenia
Leukocytes (WBCs) - Leukocytopenia

Question 3

What is the main cause of aplastic anaemia?

Answer 3

autoimmune destruction of the haematopoetic stem cells.

Question 4

What are the complications of aplastic anaemia?

Answer 4

Anaemia - SOB, chest pain, syncope, fatigue.
Thrombocytopenia - increased risk of bleeding from mucosal sights, petechiae.
Leukocytopenia - inability to fight off infection or sepsis

Question 5

What are other causes of aplastic anaemia?

Answer 5

idiopathic
radiation
chemotherapy 
anti inflammatory drugs
anti epileptic drugs 
antibiotics
epstein barr virus
HIV

Question 6

How is aplastic anaemia diagnosed?

Answer 6

Low RBC
Low platelets
Low white blood cells 
High erythropoietin (released to try and create more RBCs)
Decreased reticulocytes
increased bleeding time

Question 7

What is the definitive test for aplastic anaemia?

Answer 7

Bone marrow biopsy - shows reduced haematopoetic stem cells WITH normal cellular morphology and in the absence of any infiltrative disorder like malignancy.

Question 8

What type of cells are found in aplastic anaemia?

Answer 8

Usually - normochromic, normocytic.

SOME macrocytosis.

Question 9

What is the treatment for aplastic anaemia?

Answer 9

Remove the cause.
1st line (<50yrs) - stem cell transplant.
1st line (>50yrs) - immunosuppressants, cyclosporin. 

Severe - blood transfusion.
Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (Increases haematopoiesis).