Aplastic anemia is an uncommon but severe disorder related to blood. This is often a result to an unexplainable failure of the bone marrow to produce enough blood cells. The disease is not contagious but can affect patients of any age.

This condition of the blood affects the red, and spongy cavities inside the bones (also known as bone marrow), where different blood cell types are produced – red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. When the bone marrow is damaged, the blood cell production is slowed down or becomes erratic.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of aplastic anemia:

Fatigue Unexpected bleeding Infections Here are some possible causes of aplastic anemia:

Autoimmune disorder. Lupus, one of the autoimmune disorders, can inflict injuries to the body through attacking the healthy cells inside the bone marrow. Use of medication. Certain types of antibiotics and drugs that have strong formulation of chemicals can cause aplastic anemia. Radiation or chemotherapy treatments. This procedure aims to kill cancerous cells but at the same time, they can also damage the body’s healthy cells. Benzene exposure. This is a known carcinogen and toxic substance that when inhaled or ingested for a long period of time may leave fatal effects on the body. Being aware of any of what might be an aplastic anemia cause can be helpful during the diagnosis process.

To diagnose the disease, the doctor would order a series of blood and bone marrow tests. The results would be positive when the blood has very low levels of all the three types of blood cells; and when the bone marrow has very low production of blood cells.

Treatment options are:

Drug therapies – to build immune system of patients; Bone marrow transplantation – only when there are matched donors; Reduced activities – to decrease symptoms of anemia; Isolation – to prevent occurrences of infections to patients; Antibiotics – to control the infection; and Blood transfusion – transfusion of red blood cells helps correct the disorder.

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