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Aplastic anemia
Other Names for this Disease
- Anemia aplastic
- Aplastic anemia idiopathic
- Idiopathic aplastic anemia
- Secondary aplastic anemia
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Overview
Aplastic anemia is failure of the bone marrow to make enough blood cells. All blood cell types are affected. It can be caused by injury to blood stem cells due to exposure to certain drugs, chemotherapy, congenital disorders, drug therapy to suppress the immune system, pregnancy, radiation therapy, or toxins such as benzene or arsenic. When the cause is unknown, it is referred to as idiopathic aplastic anemia. In about half of all cases, no cause can be found. The condition can be acute or chronic.[1]
References
- Secondary aplastic anemia. MedlinePlus. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000529.htm. Accessed August 21, 2009.
Your Questions Answered
by the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center1 question(s) from the public on Aplastic anemia have been answered. See questions and answers. You can also submit a new question.
On this page
General Information
- MedlinePlus, a Web site designed by the National Library of Medicine to help you research your health questions, provides more information about this topic. Click on the link to view this information.
- Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. Click on the link to view this information. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library provides information on this condition. Click on the link to view the information.
- The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) provides leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders. Since October 1997, the NHLBI has also had administrative responsibility for the NIH Woman's Health Initiative. Click on the link to view information on this topic.
- PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Aplastic anemia. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.
- The The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database contains genetics resources that discuss Aplastic anemia. Click on the link to go to OMIM and review these resources.
Insurance Issues
- The Social Security Administration has included this condition in their Compassionate Allowances Initiative. This initiative speeds up the processing of disability claims for applicants with certain medical conditions that cause severe disability. More information about Compassionate Allowances and applying for Social Security disability is available online.