D61: Other aplastic anaemias

D61.9: Aplastic anaemia, unspecified

The bone marrow is inside bone. The blood cells are formed in the bone marrow of some of the bones. There are 3 different types of blood cell: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Red blood cells are important for carrying oxygen in the blood. White blood cells are part of the body’s immune system. They fight pathogens. Platelets are important for clotting blood.

Your bone marrow is not producing enough red blood cells. It may be that there are not enough blood cells being produced overall or only certain blood cell types.

The symptoms will depend on how many blood cells you still have. If you don’t have enough red blood cells, you can feel tired and weak. If you don’t have enough platelets, then you can bleed for longer or suddenly bleed for no apparent reason. If you don’t have enough immune cells (defense cells), you can get ill more often. It is possible for you to also be seriously ill.