In 1888 Ehlrich developed the concept of aplastic anemia when he described a rapidly
progressive and fatal syndrome which occurred chiefly in young adults. Since then,
many names have been applied to this type of anemia, bone marrow failure, aleukia
hemorrhagica, aregenerative anemia, panmyelophthisis, marrow insufficiency, toxic
paralytic anemia, progressive hypocythemia, hypoplastic anemia, refractory anemia and
adynamic anemia.
None of the suggested names is entirely satisfactory. The main objection to the term
of aplastic anemia is the fact that a considerable number of patients who have
Peripheral blood Pictures and a clinical pictures consistent with aplastic anemia have
normocellular or even hypercellular bone marrow rather than hypocellular one. However,
since bone marrow function and tone marrow morphology may not correlate, it might
permissible to use "aplasia" to denote either functional or morphological inadequacy of
the bone marrow. In this sense, the term "aplastic anemia" seems to be suitable for this
type of anemia.
Many feel that aplastic anemia is more common in oriental countries than in Europe
or America. However, we have no statistics of this disease in Korea, and there is no
war to find rout actual incidence of frequency at present. Therefore, Korean society of
hematology dicided to gather information about aplastic anemia from each general
hospital in Republic of Korea. Nine medical school and other general hospitals responded,
and 349 cases were available for present survey.
Materials and Methods
Materials consist of 349 cases collected from 9 major general hospitals: Kyung-book
University Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, Soo-do Medical School Hospital,
Yonsei University Hospital, Catholic Medical School Hospital, Ewha University Hospital,
Chun-nam University Hospital, National Medical Center, and Presbyterian Hospital of
Taegu. Some of the hospitals collected casts as early as from 1957 while others from
1963 until the September, 1965. Anemia due to irradiation or following anticancer
chemotherapy was discarded, and no congenital type of anemia was included.
Analysis was made mainly from clinical aspects; namely, peripheral blood pictures,
symptoms, physical findings, therapeutic responses and prognosis.
|