Transient erythroblastopenia of childhood (TEC) is a slowly developing
anemia
Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, t ...
of early childhood characterized by gradual onset of
pallor.
Signs and symptoms
Individuals with TEC have a median age of presentation of 18–26 months; however, the disorder may occur in infants younger than 6 months and in children as old as age 10 years.
Because of the gradual onset of the anemia, children are often healthier than expected from their low
hemoglobin
Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythrocyt ...
levels.
Cause
The cause of TEC is unknown, but it thought to be triggered by a
viral infection
A viral disease (or viral infection) occurs when an organism's body is invaded by pathogenic viruses, and infectious virus particles (virions) attach to and enter susceptible cells.
Structural Characteristics
Basic structural characteristics, ...
. While rare cases have been attributed to
infection
An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dis ...
with
parvovirus B19, the majority of cases are not related to
parvovirus
Parvoviruses are a family of animal viruses that constitute the family ''Parvoviridae''. They have linear, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) genomes that typically contain two genes encoding for a replication initiator protein, called NS1, and the p ...
infection. This is in contrast to transient aplastic crisis, seen in patients with
hemoglobinopathies such as
sickle cell disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders typically inherited from a person's parents. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red b ...
, which is usually caused by parvovirus infection.
Diagnosis
Children typically present with a moderate
normocytic anemia
Normocytic anemia is a type of anemia and is a common issue that occurs for men and women typically over 85 years old. Its prevalence increases with age, reaching 44 percent in men older than 85 years. The most common type of normocytic anemia is a ...
(usual range: hemoglobin 5-8 g/dL) and
reticulocytopenia
Reticulocytopenia is the medical term for an abnormal decrease of reticulocytes in the body. Reticulocytes are new, immature red blood cells.
Causes
Reticulocytopenia is usually a result of viral parvovirus B19 infection, which invades and des ...
.
Mean corpuscular volume is usually normal for age.
Hemoglobin F levels are also typically normal.
Prognosis
Most patients recover completely within 1–2 months.
However many reported cases have lasted 18–24 months and longer.
References
External links
*
Red blood cell disorders
{{blood-disease-stub