The bone
marrow, which is the spongy liquid inside your bones, makes stem cells. These stem
cells
develop into the 3 main types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells,
and
platelets. Red blood cells are transporters. They carry oxygen from the lungs to the
cells and carbon dioxide from the cells to the lungs. White blood cells are part of
the
body's immune system. Las plaquetas ayudan a la coagulación sanguínea.

The bone
marrow in a healthy person makes blood cells all the time to replace those that die.
A
red blood cell lives for about 120 days. A white blood cell often lives for less than
a
day. A platelet lives for about 6 days. In a person with aplastic anemia, the body
slows
or stops making the normal amount of blood cells. Or the blood cells that are made
are
damaged or defective. Researchers don't know what causes this in most cases of aplastic
anemia. Occasionally, the disorder is caused by certain medicines such as the antibiotic
chloramphenicol. Researchers don't know why this happens.

Los glóbulos rojos contienen hemoglobina. Hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to all
cells in the body. Red blood cells also remove waste carbon dioxide from the cells
and carry it to the lungs to be breathed out (exhaled). If the body has too few red
blood cells, too little oxygen reaches the cells. Esta enfermedad se denomina anemia.
Hace que una persona se sienta cansada. The heart must pump harder to make up for the lack
of oxygen being delivered to the cells.

White blood
cells fight infections. If you have too few white blood cells, you can't fight off
infections as well. You may become ill more often. A low white blood cell count also
means illnesses last longer or are more severe than in a person with a normal count.

Platelets help
the blood to clot. Having too few platelets raises the risk of bleeding or bruising.
Con pocas plaquetas, puede ser difícil detener el sangrado. Sangrado
can occur even from a mild injury that normally would not be noticed.

Aplastic anemia is rare in the U.S. Anyone at any age can get this disease, but it’s
more common in these age groups.

A person with
the hereditary form of aplastic anemia is born with the illness. A person with the
acquired form—the more common type—may develop the illness after exposure to something
in the environment. These triggers are thought to include toxic chemicals such as
pesticides, chemotherapy medicines used to treat cancer, radiation, autoimmune diseases
such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and viral infections such as hepatitis,
cytomegalovirus, and HIV. But often healthcare providers don't know the cause of this
type of aplastic anemia.

These
treatments include blood transfusions, medicines to stimulate the bone marrow,
immunosuppressant medicines, and bone marrow or stem cell transplants. Treatment depends
on the cause and severity of the illness. People with mild or moderate aplastic anemia
may not need treatment. A healthcare provider will check blood counts often to make
sure
the illness is not getting worse. Treatment is needed when a person has severe or
very
severe aplastic anemia. Many people with aplastic anemia can be treated and some can
be
cured.