Publication:

Clinico-haematological profile of adult pancytopenia patients at a tertiary care institute in South India

Background Pancytopenia is not a disease by itself; rather it describes simultaneous presence of anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia resulting from a number of disease processes. Varieties of hematological and non-hematological disorders may affect bone marrow either primarily or secondarily, resulting in the manifestation of pancytopenia. The incidence of various hematological disorders causing pancytopenia varies due to geographical distribution and genetic predisposition. This study highlights the spectrum of causes, clinical presentation and bone marrow morphology of pancytopenia.

Methods This prospective observational study was conducted for a period of two years at Al-Ameen Medical College, Bijapur, Bangalore. During this period, fifty patients with a hematological diagnosis of pancytopenia were studied during period in the department of pathology.

Results Among the 50 cases studied, 35 were males and 15 were females. Most of the patients presented with generalized weakness and fever. The commonest physical finding was pallor, followed by splenomegaly and hepatomegaly. Dimorphic anemia was predominant blood picture. Bone marrow study showed 72% hypercellular marrow, 12% normocellular and 16% hypocellular marrow. The commonest cause for pancytopenia was megaloblastic anemia followed by iron deficiency anaemia and malaria.

Conclusions The present study concludes that detailed hematological investigations along with bone marrow examination in pancytopenic patients is helpful to diagnose or rule out the causes of pancytopenia.