SEVERITY AND CLINICO-HAEMATOLOGICAL FEATURES OF APLASTIC ANEMIA IN ADULTS PRESENTING TO PUBLIC SECTOR TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF LAHORE: A DESCRIPTIVE CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Background & Objective: Aplastic anemia is a rare and heterogeneous disorder. Literature shows inconsis- tencies in frequency and its clinico-hematological findings. Objective of this study was to assess frequency of different severity grades and clinico-hematological features in newly diagnosed cases of aplastic anemia in adults. Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, conducted in Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore from October 2021 through April 2022, a total of 100 diagnosed cases of acquired aplastic anemia were included. Modified Camitta's criteria were applied to assess the severity of aplastic anemia. Clinical features such as pallor, fever and bleeding manifestations were determined by history and physical examination. About 3ml whole blood was collected in EDTA vial and run for complete blood count on automated hematology analyzer for hematological Parameters (Hb, Platelets, total leukocyte count and absolute Neutrophil count). Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Quantitative variables like age, Hb, TLC and platelet count were expressed as mean ±Standard deviation. Qualitative variables such as gender, severity of aplastic anemia and clinical features were expressed as percentages. Results: In this study, 55% participants were male and 45% were female. All patients had pallor, 61% had fever and 66% had bleeding on presentation. Regarding severity of aplastic anemia, 56% were categorized as severe, 24% as very severe and 20% were as non severe aplastic anemia. Conclusion: Severe aplastic anemia is frequent among male population and at younger age. This information has prognostic implications. Therefore, all patients with aplastic anemia should be assessed for severity for further clinical management.