Aplastic anemia is a very serious and rare condition in which the bone marrow stops producing enough red and white blood cells to keep the body healthy, resulting in an increased risk of infection and uncontrollable bleeding. The disease can develop in patients of any age and is treatable by medication, bone marrow transplants, and blood transfusions.

Aplastic Anemia may be caused by injury to the bone marrow by radiation, chemicals, various medications, viruses, immune diseases, pregnancy, insecticides and pesticides. It is important to realize that bone marrow failure is a very rare response to a wide variety of possible causative factors to which we are all commonly exposed. In most cases of Aplastic Anemia, we do not find any link with environmental factors. See similar questions...

MAA is the classification for those who have significantly reduced blood counts but not as reduced as occurs in severe Aplastic Anemia. In many cases, doctors will not prescribe treatment for moderate Aplastic Anemia patients but will simply monitor blood counts. Moderate Aplastic Anemia may remain unchanged for many years. Sometimes it is detected during a routine physical exam, or it may be discovered if it escalates to severe Aplastic Anemia, as it begins causing more symptoms. See similar questions...

SAA is defined by a marrow cellularity (blood cell production) of less than 25% and at least two of the following: See similar questions...

There are many similarities between Aplastic Anemia and Melodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), and patients share many of the same symptoms. Both groups suffer from anemia and reductions in the number of platelets and white blood cells. However, Aplastic Anemia is more prevalent among young people, while the incidence of MDS increases with age. Some aplastic anemia patients progress into Melodysplastic Syndromes. See similar questions...

The biggest difference between the two diseases is that in Aplastic Anemia the bone marrow is producing normal blood cells, but isn’t making enough of them (hypoplastic bone marrow); in MDS the bone marrow may be stuffed with cells (hyperplastic bone marrow), but these cells are ‘cloned’ from an abnormal stem cell. This means they do not function properly as mature ‘differentiated’ cells. See similar questions...

To date, use of growth factors like erythropoietin to increase red blood cells and platelets has not been particularly successful in patients with Aplastic anemia. It is important to remember that growth factors do not cure Aplastic anemia. Rather, they may help damaged bone marrow to work better until other treatments have a chance to reverse the processes causing the marrow damage. See similar questions...

Anemia results when there is not enough iron in the blood to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Baby and toddlers, pregnant and menstruating women, and people who have lost blood need more iron. See similar questions...

The symptoms of anemia can include headache, fatigue, weakness, difficulty in thinking. With severe anemia, other symptoms, such as shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat, may be experienced. See similar questions...

The root cause of anemia is generally deficiency of iron in the diet. However, there are many other ways in which loss of blood can take place from the body. The following are some of them:- People with hemorrhoids (i.e. piles) often lose great amounts of blood if there are open sores. If the loss is beyond acceptable limit, then the person would suffer from anemia. Hemolysis is a condition in which a breakdown of the red blood corpuscles takes place. See similar questions...

A healthy diet, rich in iron, must be consumed. Whole grain cereals, legumes and pulses are good sources of iron. Nuts and dry dates also contain iron. Among the meats, organs such as kidney and liver contain iron in them. Anemia that is caused due to deficiency of vitamins can be avoided by a proper intake of vitamins in the diet. The food must be properly balanced and contain the proper amount of nutrients. Consult a diet chart for better guidance. See similar questions...

children going through a rapid growth spurt, during which the iron available cannot keep up with the demands for a growing red cell mass women in childbearing years who have an excessive need for iron because of blood loss during menstruation People with ongoing gastrointestinal blood loss are at risk of developing iron deficiency, as are individuals with leukemia or cancer who must receive chemotherapy or radiation to treat their disease. See similar questions...