Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOverviewIncidenceSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Overview
Incidence
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Pancytopeniadescribes low levels of all types of blood cells including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It happens when there is a problem with the stem cells in your bone marrow that produce blood cells.
Pancytopenia can lead to symptoms of anemia (low red blood cells),leukopenia(low white blood cells), andthrombocytopenia(low platelets). These symptoms may include fatigue, infections, and bruising.
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What Is Pancytopenia?
When you have pancytopenia, you have a deficiency in all three major types of blood cells.Specifically, these include:
These terms are used for lower levels of blood cells:
Blood cells all come from a single common type of cell in the bone marrow known as ahematopoieticstem cell (HSM) orpluripotentialstem cell (meaning it has the “potential” to become many different types of cells). These cells divide and, through a process calledhematopoiesis, become progressively more specialized into all of the blood cells in the body.
Is Pancytopenia Common?
Pancytopenia may be more common than reported. Studies have found an incidence of between 1% and 13%.Since it has multiple possible causes, it’s difficult to know how many people will develop it at some point during their lives.
Pancytopenia Symptoms
Not everyone with pancytopenia will experience symptoms. When the condition does cause symptoms, they may include weakness, an enlarged spleen, and symptoms related to deficiency of specific blood cells.
Symptoms are related to low levels of each specific type of blood cell:
Anemia
Low levels of red blood cells can cause symptoms such as:
Leukopenia
Low white blood cells can cause symptoms such as:
Thrombocytopenia
Low platelets interfere with your blood’s ability to clot. This may cause symptoms such as:
Pancytopenia Causes
Most of these conditions are acquired later in life, but a few are inherited and present from birth.
Some of the possible causes of pancytopenia include:
Medications
Certain drugs are known to cause pancytopenia. Some of these include:
Autoimmune Conditions
Certain autoimmune conditions that cause the body to mistakenly attack healthy blood cells can lead to pancytopenia. These include:
Infectious Diseases
Viral illness can also cause pancytopenia. Some of the conditions that may cause this include:
Some types of anemia affect the bone marrow, causing the production of abnormal cells. These include:
Cancer
Is pancytopenia a form of leukemia?Pancytopenia is not a form of leukemia, but it can be a sign of leukemia.
Is pancytopenia a form of leukemia?
Pancytopenia is not a form of leukemia, but it can be a sign of leukemia.
Splenic Sequestration
Splenic sequestration occurs when blood cells get trapped in the spleen so they are unable to reach the rest of the body. This can happen with autoimmune conditions or more chronic conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver.Splenic sequestration may cause an enlarged, painful spleen.
Toxins
Exposure to certain chemicals and toxins can also cause pancytopenia. For example:
Is pancytopenia cancer?
Most Common Causes
Some of the most commonly seen causes of pancytopenia include:
Diagnosis and Testing
If it appears that you have pancytopenia, the next step is often a bone marrow biopsy.
Abone marrow biopsylooks at the components of bone marrow, which include hematopoietic stem cells (the cells that differentiate into all of the different types of blood cells), blood cells in various phases of maturation, and supplies used to make blood cells, such as iron and vitamin B12.
In addition to checking B12 levels in the blood, special stains and tests are performed on the cells to look for changes, such as chromosomal and gene changes, often found with leukemias.
Pancytopenia Treatment
The goal of treating pancytopenia is to find and treat the underlying cause. If the cause is unknown, or if the pancytopenia is expected, such as chemotherapy, treatment is aimed at minimizing the symptoms related to the deficiency of blood cells. Some treatments that may be used include:
PrognosisThe prognosis of pancytopenia depends largely upon its cause. Thankfully, there are treatments such as transfusions and stimulating factors to help with the specific blood cell deficiencies while the underlying condition is evaluated and treated.
Prognosis
The prognosis of pancytopenia depends largely upon its cause. Thankfully, there are treatments such as transfusions and stimulating factors to help with the specific blood cell deficiencies while the underlying condition is evaluated and treated.
Summary
Several different conditions can cause pancytopenia, including bone marrow diseases, some cancers, and some infections; chemotherapy treatment can also cause pancytopenia.
The treatment options for pancytopenia depend on the specific causes and usually focus on increasing the levels of cells to improve symptoms while treating the underlying cause.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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