What causes pancytopenia?
It is a shortage of red and white blood cells- the bone marrow-
for some reason- is not making the cells. Pancytopenia occurs in
two forms: idiopathic, in which the cause is not known, but is
often autoimmune, meaning that the body attacks its own tissues as
foreign substances; and secondary, often caused by environmental
factors. Approximately half of all pancytopenia cases are
idiopathic. In other cases, viral infections, radiation or
chemotherapy treatments, drug reactions, and exposure to toxins may
precipitate the development of pancytopenia.