Aplastic Anemia secondary to Drugs

Aplastic Anemia

Hematologic

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate
What is aplastic anemia? — Aplastic anemia is a condition that happens when a person has too few blood cells. There are 3 different types of blood cells:
Red blood cells – These cells carry oxygen to your body.
White blood cells – These cells fight infections.
Platelets – Platelets help clots form so that you stop bleeding after you cut or are injured.
Blood cells are made in the center of your bones, in a part called the bone marrow. Aplastic anemia happens when your body stops making enough of all 3 types of cells at the same time.
What causes aplastic anemia? — Aplastic anemia is caused by damage to your bone marrow. Some people are born with damaged bone marrow. In older children or adults, many things can damage bone marrow, including:
Certain medicines
Certain chemicals
Infections from certain viruses
Problems with your body's infection-fighting system (also called the "immune system")
But for many people, doctors don't know the cause of aplastic anemia.
What are the symptoms of aplastic anemia? — Some symptoms are the same as in other types of anemia. They include:
Pale skin
Feeling very tired
A fast heartbeat
Trouble breathing
Headache and muscle pains
People with aplastic anemia might also:
Get infections often
Have more bruising or bleeding than normal
Is there a test for aplastic anemia? — Yes. Tests include:
Blood tests, including a "complete blood count" (also called a "CBC")
Bone marrow biopsy – For this test, a doctor will take a very small sample of the bone marrow. Then another doctor will look at the cells under a microscope.
If your doctor thinks a genetic condition might be causing your aplastic anemia, he or she might do other tests, too.
How is aplastic anemia treated? — The treatment depends on the cause of your aplastic anemia. Treatment can include:
Stopping medicines that caused the problem
Staying away from toxic chemicals
Medicines – These can include:
•Antibiotics and antiviral medicines
•Medicines that reduce the activity of your body's infection-fighting system (called "immunosuppressive" medicines)
Transfusion of red blood cells or platelets – During a transfusion, you will get blood that has been donated by someone else. The donated red blood cells or platelets go into your vein through a thin tube called an "IV."
Doctors try to avoid giving one person a lot of transfusions. They also try not to give blood or platelets donated from family members who might donate bone marrow later. That's because doing these things can make a bone marrow transplant work less well.
Bone marrow transplant (also called a "stem cell transplant") – This procedure replaces abnormal or missing cells in the bone marrow with healthy cells from a donor. These cells are given through an "IV."
All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete.
This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Mar 30, 2020.
Topic 82989 Version 9.0
Release: 28.2.2 - C28.105
© 2020 UpToDate, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Acquired Aplastic Anemia,Aleukia Hemorrhagica,Congenital Aplastic Anemia,Constitutional Aplastic Anemia,Drug-Induced Aplastic Anemia,Hypoplastic Anemia,Idiopathic Aplastic Anemia,Panmyelophthisis,Refractory Anemia,Toxic Paralytic Anemia

This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you.The use of UpToDate content is governed by the UpToDate Terms of Use. ©2020 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2020 UpToDate, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.