Aplastic Anemia

Aplastic anemia is a rare disease that strikes the bone marrow and produces a deficiency of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Hemorrhages and other life-threatening disorders may accompany aplastic anemia; a bone marrow transplant is the only current effective treatment. Aplastic anemia patients who do not receive a bone marrow transplant may go on to develop myelodysplasia which, in turn, can progress to leukemia.

Treatment for Aplastic Anemia

Although bone marrow transplant is the treatment of choice for aplastic anemia, treatment depends upon the patient's age, the severity of the disease and the availability of a matched donor.

At the Bone Marrow Transplant Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, allogeneic transplantation from a matched donor is often offered to untreated patients or those who have failed treatment with the immunosuppressive drug ATG — a drug that prevents the body from attacking its own bone marrow by suppressing the patient’s immune system. Unrelated donor transplantation is offered to patients who have failed ATG. Blood transfusions from volunteer donors can temporarily correct some of the cell deficiencies associated with aplastic anemia, but resistance usually develops and long-term use of red blood cell transfusions can lead to a condition known as iron overload.

Questions About Aplastic Anemia

Q: How common is aplastic amenia?

A: Aplastic anemia is a rare disease. It is estimated that there are 2 to 12 new cases per million people per year. It occurs in both adults and children. Myelodysplasia is more common, with the majority of patients being over the age of 50.

Q: What are the causes of aplastic anemia?

A: Aplastic anemia has been clearly linked to radiation, environmental toxins, insecticides and drugs in much the same fashion that cancer has been linked to these agents. Benzene-based compounds, airplane glue and drugs such as chloramphenicol have been linked to aplastic anemia. In some individuals, aplastic anemia is believed to be caused by a virus. To date the exact cause of the disease in over half the cases is unknown.