Pancytopenia Symptoms

You might have heard about anemia, a condition caused by the deficiency of red blood cells. Likewise, a deficiency of white blood cells is called leukopenia and a very low platelet count is termed as thrombocytopenia. There is another condition called neutropenia, which denotes a decrease in the number of neutrophil granulocytes in blood. If any two types of blood cells are found to be deficient, then the condition is termed as bicytopenia. If a person has deficiency of all these different types of blood cells, then the condition is called pancytopenia.

Causes

Now, you know that pancytopenia is characterized by a deficiency of different types of blood cells, like the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. There are many different causes for the occurrence of this condition. Even though, little research is done about this condition, there are various theories that relate to this condition. According to one such theory, the occurrence of pancytopenia may be due to any problem in the bone marrow that affects the production of blood cells. Whatever may be the cause, almost all patients diagnosed with the condition were suffering from anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia.

There are various medical conditions, medication and medical procedures that can cause pancytopenia. This include aplastic anemia, bone marrow disease, dyskeratosis congenita, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, leukemia, leishmaniasis, malignant osteoporosis, severe viral infections, arsenic poisoning, alimentary toxic aleukia, familial hemophagocytic syndrome, HIV, hypersplenism and systemic lupus erythematosus. Medication that may contribute to pancytopenia include antibiotics, cytotoxics, anti thyroid drugs, medicines for diabetes, NSAIDs, some heart medications and drugs prescribed for blood pressure. However, the occurrence of pancytopenia due to medication is very rare. It is also contended that the effect of these drugs in causing pancytopenia is not identified in most cases. It has also been noted that folate deficiency, copper deficiency, chemotherapy and deficiency of vitamin B12 may also cause this condition. In some rare cases, mononucleosis and hemoglobinuria may also cause this condition.

Symptoms

As mentioned above, pancytopenia symptoms may vary with the cause and severity of the condition. The patient may experience the anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. The most common among them are the symptoms of anemia like fatigue, dizziness, rapid heart rate and shortness of breath. It has been observed that some of the initial symptoms of pancytopenia include easy bruising and bleeding from the nose and gums. Other symptoms include headache, excessive menstrual bleeding, petechiae (reddish spots on skin due to mild hemorrhages in the blood vessels beneath the skin), pallor, weakness, fatigue, frequent infections and rectal bleeding. As the symptoms may vary from one person to another, the right method for diagnosing this condition is bone marrow biopsy. Even a complete blood count of the patient will be taken.

The treatment for this condition is mostly based on its symptoms and causes. Bone marrow transplant is done in some of the patients and is a method which is believed to be effective too. The course of treatment may vary from one patient to another. As most of the above said symptoms are common for many other medical conditions, it is always better to get your condition diagnosed in the right way, so as to rule out the possibility of pancytopenia.