Aplastic Anemia

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a rare life threatening hematological disorder characterized by hypocellular bone marrow and pancytopenia. There are large number of etiological factors with complex pathogenesis. For effective management, it important to differentiate idiopathic aplastic anemia from other conditions such as hypoplastic MDS, bone marrow failure syndromes, autoimmune myelofibrosis, PNH, etc. In this chapter, a clinical case scenario is presented followed by step-by-step evidence-based approach to utilize specialized and advanced tests to unravel final diagnosis of aplastic anemia. A comprehensive description of pathophysiology of disease, development of PNH clone during course of disease, role of Tregs, next generation sequencing (NGS), microRNAs and significance of measuring telomere length in AA are discussed. To gain expertise in this topic and enhance your diagnostic skills for effective planning of management, read this chapter on aplastic anemia.