Abstract

Pancytopenia is reduction in all the three major cellular elements of blood; hence it is the simultaneous presence of anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. The causes of pancytopenia can be (a) ineffective hematopoiesis with cell death in the marrow, (b) formation of defective cells which are rapidly removed from circulation, (c) sequestration and/or destruction of cells by the action of antibodies or, (d) trapping of normal cells in a hypertrophied and over-reactive reticuloendothelial system.5 The pattern of diseases leading to pancytopenia is expected to vary in different population groups with their difference in age pattern, nutritional status, and prevalence of infective disorders. The severity of pancytopenia and the underlying pathology determines the management and prognosis of these patients.

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