Treatment of Pancytopenia
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Pancytopenia is a condition characterized by insufficient amount of platelets, red and white blood cells. Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body, whereas white blood cells are a part of the immune system and help to fight infections. The platelets are responsible for proper blood clotting. Overall, the insufficient amount of all these components of blood leads to a combination of conditions.
If pancytopenia is mild, a person may not even feel any symptoms. In mild cases pancytopenia is very often found accidentally during a regular blood tests. Nonetheless, in severe cases pancytopenia can be very dangerous and need to be treated immediately to prevent complications. The exact cause of pancytopenia has not been identified yet. In 50% of cases the problem is with the bone marrow, where all blood cells are produced. If a person had leukemia or aplastic anemia, he can develop pancytopenia later during the lifetime. In other 50% of cases causes of pancytopenia remain unknown.
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Paleness
- Dizziness
- Fever
- Bleeding from the gums
- Easy bruising
- During a general examination, a doctor will ask if a person has had high fever recently and what his/her other symptoms are. He will also ask about the family history and other conditions connected to the bone marrow function which a person could have before.
- Complete blood count is used to estimate the amount of red and white blood cells and platelets in the blood and determine the cause of pancytopenia.
- A bone marrow aspiration is used to determine the exact problem with bone marrow which could be causing pancytopenia. A biopsy can be used as well to rule out other possible problems.
- Conservative treatment includes special drugs which boost the production of red and white blood cells and platelets and, thus, alleviate all the symptoms. If pancytopenia was caused by an infection, that infection is treated as well. Blood transfusions can be used to increase the amount of blood cells temporarily.
- Stem cells transplantation is used to increase the constant production of red and white blood cells and platelets in the blood and normalize their count.
Authors: Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko