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Severe anemia due to transient pure red cell aplasia in early childhood

Arrest at the level of the committed stem cells?

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Abstract

Five patients, 11 months to 34/12 years old with severe normochromic, normocytis anemia and reticulocytopenia are reported. At the height of erythropoietic arrest when erythroid precursor cells were completely absent, undifferentiated stem cells (transitional cells), accumulated in the bone marrow. They disappeared again upon spontaneous resumption of erythropoiesis. We suggest that the erythropoietic arrest had occurred at the level of the hematopoietic stem cell.

All patients recovered within 1 week of diagnosis. No steroid therapy was given. Failure to recognize this clinical entity leads to unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures including the transfusion of blood.

Zusammenfassung

Es wird über 5 Patienten berichtet, die im Alter zwischen 11 Monaten und 34/12 Jahren an einer schweren normochromen normocytären Anämie mit Reticulocytopenie erkrankten. Während des Tiefpunktes der Erythropoese, als die unreifen erythrocytären vorstufen im Knochenmark völlig fehlten, häuften sich undifferenzierte hämopoetische Stammzellen (sog. transitional cells) im Knochenmark an. Wir vermuten, daß der vorübergehende Stop der Erythropoese auf einer Hemmung der Differenzierung hämatopoetischer Stammzellen beruht.

Alle Patienten erholten sich innerhalb 1 Woche nach Stellung der Diagnose, ohne daß eine Behandlung mit Glucocorticoiden eingeleitet wurde. Die Nichterkennung dieser transitorische Form der Aplasie der Erythropoese ist der Anlaß zu unnötigen diagnostischen und therapeutischen Maßnahmen, einschließlich Bluttransfusionen.

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Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bonn-Bad Godesberg.

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Tillmann, W., Prindull, G. & Schröter, W. Severe anemia due to transient pure red cell aplasia in early childhood. Eur J Pediatr 123, 51–58 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00497680

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