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Aplastic Anaemia is a rare, serious blood disorder characterized by the failure of the bone marrow to produce sufficient new blood cells. The body lacks enough red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. This shortage leads to severe fatigue, infection, and uncontrolled bleeding.
read more about aplastic anaemia ...The failure is generally caused by the body's immune system mistakenly attacking the stem cells within the bone marrow. This autoimmune attack damages the stem cells, stopping them from maturing into red cells, white cells, and platelets.
Environmental exposure to toxins such as certain chemicals or pesticides, or prior intensive chemotherapy or radiation, can also cause stem cell damage. This process results in the bone marrow becoming hypocellular or depleted of blood-forming cells. This lack of production across all cell lines is known as pancytopenia.
The consequences of low cell counts are severe and widespread. A deficiency of red blood cells causes profound fatigue, weakness, and paleness, a condition known as anemia. Low white blood cells lead to frequent and severe infections that the body struggles to fight.
A very low platelet count causes easy bruising, nosebleeds, and spontaneous, uncontrolled bleeding that demands immediate medical care. These bleeding events can be life-threatening without prompt treatment.
Diagnosis involves a complete blood count (CBC). The CBC shows very low levels of all three blood cell types. A bone marrow biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. The biopsy reveals a bone marrow that is hypocellular, meaning it is empty of blood-forming cells.
Aplastic Anaemia severely impacts eye health due to the lack of platelets. The low platelet count leads to easy bleeding, which can cause subconjunctival hemorrhages (bleeding under the whites of the eyes) and retinal hemorrhages (bleeding in the back of the eye). Retinal bleeding can cause permanent vision loss. Any vision change must be evaluated quickly.
Treatment depends on the severity. It involves immunosuppressants to stop the immune attack and blood transfusions to replace missing cells. For younger patients, a stem cell transplant (bone marrow transplant) is done to replace the damaged bone marrow with healthy cells.
No, it is a bone marrow failure disorder, not a cancer. It requires similar intensive treatment, however.
Yes, a bone marrow biopsy is needed to distinguish aplastic anaemia from leukaemia or other blood disorders.
No, aplastic anaemia is very rare, but it is a life-threatening disorder.
See a hematologist if you notice pinpoint red spots on your skin (petechiae) or bleeding gums. Severe anemia can cause "Pale Conjunctiva" (the inner eyelid looks white). Eye exams are critical during treatment to monitor for retinal hemorrhages caused by low platelet counts.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Aplastic Anemia (nhlbi.nih.gov). 2024.
Mayo Clinic. Aplastic Anemia Symptoms (mayoclinic.org). 2025.
MedlinePlus. Aplastic Anemia Overview (medlineplus.gov). 2024.
StatPearls. Aplastic Anemia Pathology (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). 2024.