Etiology and clinico-hematological profile of pancytopenia: experience of a Mexican Tertiary Care Center and review of the literature

Abstract

Background: Pancytopenia is a frequent entity in clinical practice as a feature of a myriad of conditions, ranging from benign to malignant diseases. Since the cause of pancytopenia depends on environmental factors, it is important to know the common etiologies of pancytopenia, however, few studies address this.

Objectives: To identify the etiology of pancytopenia in our population and compare them with what is reported elsewhere.

Methods: We conducted an observational study of patients with pancytopenia in a Mexican Tertiary Care Center. Clinical, hematological and bone marrow studies were performed in all patients.

Results: Of 109 cases included, the mean age at diagnosis was 49.4 years, with a slightly higher female incidence (53.2%). The most common causes of pancytopenia were: MDS (20.2%), megaloblastic anemia (18.3%) and AML (12.8%).

Discussion: We found a complex picture of pancytopenia in Mexico and compared it with what is reported elsewhere in the literature.

Conclusion: The sociocultural context in which the patients develop helps narrowing the possible etiology of pancytopenia, and therefore hasten the diagnostic process. Of all the studies available, bone marrow aspiration seems the most useful.

Keywords: Pancytopenia; hematological malignancies; megaloblastic anemia.