Aplastic anemia is a serious rare blood-related disease. This condition occurs when the bone marrow fails to produce enough red blood cells and platelets. Anyone can develop aplastic anemia, but it generally affects individuals in the age range of 15 to 25 years and 60 years and above.
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Symptoms
The symptoms of aplastic anemia are not immediately felt and visible but develop over weeks or even months. However, it's also possible for someone to experience severe symptoms immediately. Some symptoms of aplastic anemia are as follows:
- Fatigue
- Easy bruising
- Easy Nosebleed or bleeding gums
- Frequent virus infections with more prolonged sickness duration than usual
- Paleness of the skin
- Prolonged bleeding due to wounds
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Fever
- Shortness of breath
- Skin rash
Prolonged fatigue, easy bruising, and bleeding are symptoms to watch out for.
Causes
As mentioned earlier, aplastic anemia occurs when the immune system attacks the bone marrow, thus preventing it from producing stem cells. The causes are not fully known, but there are several specific conditions that may be responsible, such as:
1. Certain Medical Conditions
Causes of aplastic anemia related to medical conditions may be caused by autoimmune diseases (lupus), viral infections (Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19, and HIV), paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (red blood cells breaking down too quickly), and pregnancy. In some cases, the cause is unknown (idiopathic aplastic anemia).
2. Inherited Conditions
Causes of aplastic anemia related to inherited conditions may be associated with bone marrow failure syndromes, leading to insufficient stem cell production. Conditions include Fanconi anemia, dyskeratosis congenita, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, and Pearson syndrome.
3. Medical Treatments
In addition to the two possible causes above, the risk of aplastic anemia may increase when someone undergoes certain medical treatments, such as treatment for autoimmune diseases, radiation and chemotherapy for cancer (which kill cancer cells but also risk damaging healthy cells), and exposure to toxic chemicals such as those found in pesticides and insecticides, benzene, arsenic, and substances in gasoline.
Chemotherapy can increase the risk of aplastic anemia.
Diagnosis
People with aplastic anemia are at high risk of complications, such as severe infections, excessive bleeding, heart failure, and myelodysplastic syndrome, which can be life-threatening. Therefore, it's important to understand its symptoms. This condition is diagnosed by conducting several tests, such as:
- Complete blood count (CBC) with differential: tests and measures blood cells
- Peripheral blood smear examination: examines blood cells and platelets under a microscope
- Reticulocyte count: counts the number of young red blood cells
- Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: takes bone marrow tissue for examination under a microscope.
Aplastic anemia is a rare blood disorder that occurs when the bone marrow fails to produce enough red blood cells and platelets. Symptoms include fatigue, easy bruising, bleeding, paleness, dizziness, headache, fever, and more. If experiencing suspicious symptoms, consult a doctor immediately to receive appropriate treatment and minimize the risk of potential complications.
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