Pancytopaenia

Question 1

Name a rare cause of inherited pancytopaenia

Answer 1

Fanconi’s

Question 2

list acquired causes of primary bone marrow failure

Answer 2

Aplastic anaemia: autoimmune attack against haemopoietic stem cell

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS): increased apopotosis of progenitor and mature cells (inefffective haemopoiesis)

Acute leukaemia (white cell count can be variable)

Question 3

List secondary causes of bone marrow failure

Answer 3

Drug induced [eg chemotherapy, chloramphenicol, alcohol] – causes aplasia

B12/folate deficiency (nuclear maturation can affect all lineages)

Malignant: non-haemopoietic infiltration, lymphoma

Misc.: Viral (eg HIV)/storage diseases

Question 4

list causes of pancytopaenia through increased destruction

Answer 4

Hypersplenism

Autoimmune

Question 5

what are causes of hypersplenism?

Answer 5

Splenic Congestion
Portal Hypertension
Congestive cardiac failure

Systemic diseases
Rheumatoid Arthritis (Felty’s)

Haematological diseases
Myelofibrosis (or other chronic myeloproliferative disorders)