Aplastic AnemiaAplastic anemia is a form of cancer that affects the bone marrow. Bone marrow is a soft tissue found inside larger bones. This disease is rare and is not limited to any gender. Aplastic anemia occurs when the bone marrow stops producing enough red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets for the body. Platelets are another form of cell that does not contain nuclei. They circulate in the blood and prevent us from bleeding. When the marrow produces these cells, the cells function normally, but the marrow does not produce enough of them for the body to function properly. The word Aplastic actually means “a failure to develop.” This disease was first discovered in 1888 by Dr. Paul Ehrilch. He discovered this disease after studying a case in which a pregnant woman died from bone marrow failure. In 1904 this condition was classified as Aplastic Anemia. The causes of this disease are unknown. Risk factors for this condition that may increase the risk of aplastic anemia include exposure to environmental toxins, paints, oil and coal emissions, industrial soil filters, certain viruses or drugs, drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, bone marrow diseases and pregnancy. This disease can be hereditary or caused by environmental substances. When aplastic anemia is hereditary it is less common. Hereditary anemia is caused by the transmission of genes from parent to child. People who suffer from hereditary anemia have other developmental or genetic problems. Faconi is the name used when aplastic anemia is hereditary. Children with abnormal chromosomes are likely to inherit this condition. Those suffering from hereditary aplastic anemia will have abnormalities in... middle of paper... immune defenses have increased the number of survivors with aplastic anemia. Aplastic anemia may improve when the causative factors are complete. For example, if a pregnant woman suffers from aplastic anemia, the anemia will improve once the pregnancy is complete. The same goes for chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Anemia occurs in 1 in 2 people per year for every million people in the United States. Approximately 300-600 new cases of aplasmic anemia may occur each year. This disease may be more common in developing countries. In developing countries, people are more exposed to the toxins and chemicals that cause this condition. Once all treatments for aplastic anemia are completed, they may be in remission, and some may be able to control their disease. A recurrence of aplastic anemia is very common in patients. Some patients have to live with this disease for the rest of their lives.