Aplastic anemia is bone marrow failure that stops producing red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Patients show fatigue, weakness, paleness, and fast heart rate. Lab work reveals low counts across all three cell types.
Let's walk through the key signs and symptoms for aplastic anemia that you need to know for the NCLEX and for your nursing school exams. Now, aplastic anemia is really interesting because it does not just have to do with red blood cells. It also has to do with white blood cells and platelets. So this is not a lack of iron that we're talking about. This is actually a bone marrow problem. The bone marrow is not able to produce those red blood cells, the white blood cells and the platelets. So when you're looking at a patient with aplastic anemia, you will often see lethargy, tiredness, weakness, pale complexion, tachycardia. And down here I want to point out that pancytopenia, you'll see those decreased red blood cells, the white blood cells and the platelets because remember, in aplastic anemia, this is not a lack of iron. This is a bone marrow problem. The bone marrow is not able to make enough of those cells.
