A study of clinico-haematological profiles of pancytopenia in children

Abstract

We report on the clinico-haematological profile of pancytopenia in children from the Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, India, over a period of 30 months. Pancytopenia was defined as: haemoglobin <10 g/dL, absolute neutrophil count 1.5 × 109/L and platelet count <100 × 109/L. A detailed history, clinical examination and haematological parameters were recorded. Bone marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy were carried out in all cases. One hundred and five cases aged 1.5–18 years, with a mean age of 8.6 years, were included in the study. Aplastic anaemia was the most common cause of pancytopenia (43%) followed by acute leukaemia (25%). Infections were the third most common cause of pancytopenia of which kala azar was the most common. Megaloblastic anaemia was seen in 6.7%.