What Can Cause Aplastic Anaemia In Children?
There are multiple causes of the occurrence of aplastic anaemia in children. Some are primary causes, while other causes are idiopathic, which means that they occur sporadically for no known reason. The most common causes of this condition are immunological dysfunction or malignant or cancerous cell changes. The secondary causes of aplastic anaemia include previous illnesses or disorders. Get to know about these causes and look out for the best aplastic anaemia treatment in India.
The primary cause of aplastic anaemia is damage to stem cells, which are present in the bone marrow and develop into white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, the important basic components of blood. The blood cells cannot be formed if there are insufficient stem cells. However, aplastic anaemia can also be caused by autoimmune problems where the immune system attacks the stem cells or a viral infection. Anti-cancer medicines, antibiotics, and anti-seizure medicines or radiotherapy can also be the reason for aplastic anaemia. The disease can also be due to inherited disorders such as Shwachman-Diamond syndrome and Fanconi anaemia. Thus, aplastic anaemia can be either inherited or acquired. Let us see these causes in detail so that you can get aplastic anaemia treatment in India.
Acquired Aplastic Anaemia
- Radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment are cancer-fighting therapies that kill cancer cells. However, it can also damage healthy cells, like the stem cells in the bone marrow. Hence, aplastic anaemia is a temporary side effect of these treatments. Some cancers may also affect the bone marrow.
- Exposure to toxic chemicals like pesticides, insecticides, and benzene, an ingredient of gasoline, is another reason behind this condition in children. Avoiding repeated exposure to these chemicals may help improve the condition.
- Certain medications can also cause aplastic anaemia, including those used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and some antibiotics.
- Children may have autoimmune disorders such as lupus, in which their immune system attacks the healthy cells, which might also involve stem cells.
- Some viral infections affect the bone marrow. Liver infection or viruses like Epstein-Barr, hepatitis, cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19, and HIV are linked to aplastic anaemia.
- Another reason for this condition is the development of acute lymphocytic leukaemia.
Inherited Aplastic Anaemia
Aplastic Anaemia can also be hereditary, and children can inherit a disorder predisposing them to develop this condition. It can be passed down through the genes from a parent to a child or can be caused by a new gene mutation present from birth. Children who inherit this condition often suffer from other physical abnormalities. Some bone marrow failure syndromes that increase the likelihood of developing aplastic anaemia include the following.
- Fanconi Anaemia: This rare disease is often diagnosed in children between 3 to 14 years of age and mainly affects the bone marrow.
- Dyskeratosis congenita: This genetic disorder often causes bone marrow failure and lung disease.
- Shwachman-Diamond syndrome: This disorder is characterised by low white blood cells, poor growth, and skeletal abnormalities.
- Reticular dysgenesis is an immunodeficiency disorder in which mutations are caused in both copies of the AK2 gene.
- Amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia: It is characterised by a low number of a type of bone marrow cell that makes platelets important for clotting and preventing bleeding.
Conclusion
These are the various causes of aplastic anaemia in children. The condition can get severe if not treated on time. So you can check for homoeopathic cancer clinics as homoeopathic treatment has emerged as an effective way to treat this condition.