Fanconi anemia is an inherited blood disease that causes low blood cell count, and may eventually leads to bone marrow failure. This rare form of anemia is not the same as Fanconi syndrome.
Fanconi anemia is a type of aplastic anemia because your bone marrow fails to make enough of all three types of blood cells. Therefore, your red, white and platelet counts are perpetually low causing some serious health consequences, like
- low red blood cells ~ body wide oxygen deficit
- low white blood cells ~ problems fighting infections
- low platelets ~ excessive bleeding because of blood clot failure
This blood disease can cause your bone marrow to produce abnormal blood cells as well.
Most with low blood cell count Fanconi anemia will have some of these signs and symptoms:
- fatigue
- vitiligo
- scoliosis
- deafness
- small head
- short height
- small testicles
- genital changes
- learning disability
- Cafe au lait spots
- eye, eyelid problems
You may also have some congenital anomalies involving your heart, lungs, kidneys and digestive system.
The lifespan of those suffering from Fanconi anemia is usually cut short, most often due to bone marrow failure, leukemia or cancerous tumors. Survival rate can improve because of a bone marrow transplant. Yet, your risk of certain cancers endures, for instance:
If your Fanconi anemia related blood counts are not too low, then your blood disease treatment might only call for an occasional blood transfusion and an antibiotic. Although, bone marrow failure and cancer monitoring checks will be required.
For more serious cases of Fanconi anemia, a bone marrow transplant can cure your low blood count problem and bone marrow failure risk. A challenge is to finding a match.
Beyond your transplant, monitoring for cancer must continue because it’s a lingering threat to your health.
