Symptoms Of Aplastic Anemia

Pale Skin

Pale skin is a symptom that can be indicative of an individual affected by aplastic anemia. Healthy individuals have bone marrow that produces an adequate amount of blood cells, including red blood cells. Red blood cells contain a compound called hemoglobin, which is responsible for the transport of oxygen in blood circulation to all of the different tissues throughout the body. Red blood cells are pumped through the heart and into the lungs where they pick up oxygen, where they are then pumped back to the heart and through the aorta. From the aorta, the oxygenated red blood cells deliver the oxygen to the tissues around the body. Aplastic anemia patients do not have an adequate number of red blood cells to transport oxygen because their bone marrow does not produce them to replace the red blood cells that die at the end of their lifecycle. This malfunction means there is a less overall oxygen concentration in the blood circulating the body. Oxygenated blood is bright red, where oxygen-poor blood is dark red. When light shines through an individual's skin, it reflects off of the two shades of red differently. This mechanism is what produces the fleshy pink hue of a healthy individual's skin, and the grey, pale hue of an aplastic anemia patient's skin.

Keep reading to uncover more details on the indicators of aplastic anemia now.