Aplastic Anemia

Aplastic anemia is a disease of the bone marrow. It happens when the bone marrow stops making enough red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets for the body. Any blood cells the marrow does make are normal, but there are not enough of them. Aplastic anemia can be moderate, severe or very severe. People with severe or very severe aplastic anemia are at risk for life-threatening infections or bleeding.

Although aplastic anemia can appear at any age, in any race or gender, it is diagnosed more often in children and young adults.  It is also more likely to strike Asian-Americans.  Each year, between 600 and 900 people in the U.S. learn that they have aplastic anemia.