Medical history (history of illness) represents an important component in the diagnosis of aplastic anemia.
Family history
Social history
- What is your occupation?
- Are you exposed to harmful working substances in your profession?
Current medical history/systemic medical history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- Have you noticed an increased bleeding tendency such as increased bruising, gum bleeding, or nosebleeds?
- Do you suffer from ringing in the ears?
- Have you noticed an increase in fatigue and decrease in performance? Do you feel weak?
- Are you short of breath?
- Have you felt sick in the last few weeks?
- Did you suffer or suffer more from infections?
Vegetative anamnesis including nutritional anamnesis.
- Has your appetite changed?
- Have you noticed any unwanted change in weight?
- Have you noticed any changes in digestion and/or urination?
- Do you smoke? If so, how many cigarettes, cigars, or pipes per day?
- Do you drink alcohol? If yes, what drink(s) and how many glasses per day?
- Do you use drugs? If yes, what drugs and how often per day or per week?
Self history incl. medication history.
- Pre-existing conditions (infectious diseases)
- Operations
- Radiotherapy
- Allergies
- Pregnancies
- Environmental history (arsenic, benzene, bismuth, gold, mercury).
Drug history
- Allopurinol*
- Alpha-methyldopa*
- Antibiotics – drugs such as streptomycin* , tetracycline* or methicillin* .
- Antidiabetic drugs – tolbutamide and chlorpropamide.
- Antihistamines – cimetidine
- Anticonvulsants – carbomazepine
- Carboanhydrase inhibitors (CAH, CAI) – acetazolamide, dichlorophenamide, methazolamide.
- Quinidine*
- Chloramphenicol
- Colchicine
- D-penicillamine – drug used in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Lithium*
- Medicines for protozoan infections such as chloroquine or mepacrine.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – phenylbutazone, ibuprofen, or acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).
- Estrogens
- Sedatives – such as chlorpromazine* or meprobamate* .
- Sulfonamides
- Tuberculostatics (isoniazid, INH)
- Thyrostatic drugs – such as methylthiouracil or carbimazole.
- Cytostatics
- Alkylants such as chlorambucil or cyclophosphamide.
- Antimetabolites such as mercaptopurine, fluorouracil or methotrexate.
- Mitosis inhibitors such as vincristine or paclitaxel.
Note: For drugs marked with an asterisk (* ), the association with aplastic anemia is poorly established.
