Biomedicine

Abstract

Introduction: Pancytopenia represents a significant hematological disorder characterized by simultaneous reduction in all three major blood cell lineages: erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes. This clinically challenging condition warrants comprehensive evaluation through peripheral blood analysis and bone marrow examination for accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic intervention. Despite numerous studies investigating pancytopenia, the correlation between peripheral blood findings and bone marrow characteristics remains incompletely understood, particularly in diverse geographical and demographic contexts. Aim: The aim of this retrospective correlational study is to correlate peripheral smear findings with bone marrow examination for patients with pancytopenia. Results and Conclusion: Conducted over two years in a rural tertiary care hospital with 100 patients, the study identified megaloblastic anemia (29%) as the most common etiology, followed by aplastic anemia (17%) and mixed nutritional deficiencies (13%). Other causes included iron deficiency anemia, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and leishmaniasis. Unidentified causes accounted for 5% of cases. The findings reflect the high prevalence of nutritional anemia in this region and emphasize the importance of bone marrow examination in diagnosing pancytopenia. The sample size was based on all pancytopenia cases encountered during the two-year study period that met the inclusion criteria, ensuring a focused and manageable dataset.