What Causes Aplastic Anemia?
Aplastic anemia is caused by damage to stem cells in
the bone marrow. Stem cells normally develop into three types of blood cells:
red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. When stem cells are damaged,
they do not grow into healthy blood cells.
In more than half of people with aplastic anemia,
the cause of the damage to stem cells is unknown. Some research suggests that
stem cell damage may occur because the bodys immune system attacks its
own cells by mistake.
Causes of Acquired Aplastic Anemia
The cause of acquired aplastic anemia has been
linked to outside agents, as well as to diseases. Outside agents include toxins
such as pesticides, arsenic, and benzene; radiation and chemotherapy used to
treat cancer; and medicines such as chloramphenicol, an antibiotic now rarely
used in the United States. Infectious diseases also can cause aplastic anemia.
Some of these diseases are hepatitis, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus
(si-to-MEG-a-lo-VI-rus), parvovirus B19, and HIV. Autoimmune diseases, such as
lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (ROO-ma-toyd ar-THRI-tis), also can cause this
condition.
Causes of Hereditary Aplastic Anemia
Some inherited genetic disorders can lead to
aplastic anemia. These include Fanconi anemia, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, and
dyskeratosis congenita. |