Is aplastic anemia leukemia?

Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
Updated on September 28, 2024
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Aplastic anemia is not leukemia, but there is a very small chance that aplastic anemia can transform into leukemia. Aplastic anemia is a bone marrow failure syndrome, and its clinical presentation often includes pancytopenia. It can be classified into acute aplastic anemia and chronic aplastic anemia. Leukemia often manifests with high white blood cell counts, anemia, and low platelet counts. It is caused by the infiltration of leukemia cells into the bone marrow, leading to the suppression of normal hematopoiesis, and is classified as a malignant hematological tumor. Leukemia can be divided into acute leukemia and chronic leukemia.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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Is aplastic anemia contagious?

Aplastic anemia is not contagious and has a minor hereditary factor, meaning that if a family member has aplastic anemia, it is generally not inherited by the next generation. The cause of aplastic anemia is still unclear, but possible reasons include: 1. Damage to hematopoietic stem cells. After the hematopoietic stem cells are damaged, it leads to limited stem cell proliferation and reduced hematopoiesis. 2. Damage to the hematopoietic microenvironment. Damage to the hematopoietic microenvironment can lead to changes that disrupt the regeneration of hematopoietic stem cells. 3. Immune factors. Immune factors can cause immune damage, directly damaging hematopoietic stem cells, thereby causing bone marrow regeneration disorders.

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Written by Zhang Xiao Le
Hematology
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The differences between aplastic anemia and megaloblastic anemia.

Aplastic anemia is a type of bone marrow failure syndrome where patients can present with reduced total blood cells in the peripheral blood, without enlargement of the liver, spleen, or lymph nodes, and an increased ratio of peripheral blood lymphocytes. Bone marrow indicates low regeneration, reduced hematopoietic tissue, and increased non-hematopoietic tissue, with the condition arising from changes in the bone marrow microenvironment leading to a reduction in blood cells. Megaloblastic anemia, also known as nutritional anemia, is primarily caused by a lack of folate and vitamin B12, leading to a red blood cell synthesis disorder and resulting in anemia. Severe megaloblastic anemia can also present with reduced total blood cells. However, the red blood cells typically exhibit macrocytic anemia. In contrast, aplastic anemia generally presents with normocytic anemia.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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The main cause of aplastic anemia is.

The causes of aplastic anemia are considered to be of three types: abnormalities in hematopoietic stem cells, abnormalities in the bone marrow microenvironment, and abnormalities in immune factors. Among these, abnormalities in immune factors play a dominant role. Therefore, most patients with aplastic anemia see some improvement after receiving immunosuppressive therapy clinically. However, there is a small subset of patients with aplastic anemia for whom immunosuppressive therapy is not effective, and the causes of the disease in these patients are not well understood and may be congenital, such as congenital dyskeratosis.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
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Can aplastic anemia be cured?

Aplastic anemia is divided into acute aplastic anemia and chronic aplastic anemia. Acute aplastic anemia can be cured by intensive immunotherapy or syngeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. However, not all cases of acute aplastic anemia can be cured by these two treatments, with the cure rate being approximately 60%-70%. For chronic aplastic anemia, the main treatment currently is oral immunosuppressive therapy, which usually cannot cure the condition unless allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is performed. However, if patients with chronic aplastic anemia are on oral immunosuppressive therapy, they can maintain a relatively good condition and typically do not opt for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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Can aplastic anemia be cured completely?

Aplastic anemia clinically is categorized into acute aplastic anemia and chronic aplastic anemia. Acute aplastic anemia appears suddenly and is severe, with a short survival period. Chronic aplastic anemia develops slowly, has a longer history, and is relatively milder in condition. Whether it is acute aplastic anemia or chronic aplastic anemia, curative treatment can only be achieved through allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation offers a potential cure for aplastic anemia, there is also a certain rate of failure. Additionally, post-transplant, there is a presence of immune rejection.