PANCYTOPENIA

Course overview

PANCYTOPENIA IS DEFINED AS A DECREASE OF ALL THREE HEMATOLOGIC CELL LINES. THE CONDITION IS NOT A DISEASE IN ITSELF, BUT A COMMON PATHWAY CAUSED BY A MULTITUDE OF DIFFERENT ETIOLOGIES THAT CAN BE INFECTIOUS, AUTOIMMUNE GENETIC, NUTRITIONAL, AND/OR MALIGNANT. DETERMINING THE CAUSE OF PANCYTOPENIA IS A CHALLENGE AND IS KEY IN DETERMINING THE PROPER TREATMENT REGIMEN AND ESTIMATING PROGNOSIS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE MOST COMMON ETIOLOGIES OF PANCYTOPENIA, OUTLINES POTENTIAL PATHWAYS IN DETERMINING THE UNDERLYING DIAGNOSIS, AND HIGHLIGHTS THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM'S IMPORTANCE IN EVALUATING AND TREATING THESE PATIENTS.