OBJECTIVEThis study compared the differences in clinical features between chronic aplastic anemia (CAA) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in children in order to provide a basis for the differential diagnosis of the two diseases.

METHODSA retrospective study of 23 cases of CAA and 9 cases of MDS from September 2007 to September 2010 was performed. The clinical data including routine blood test results, reticulocyte counts, serum lactate dehydrogenase level, serum ferritin level, cytological examination of bone marrow, bone marrow CD34+ cell counts, bone marrow chromosome and FISH test results were compared between the CAA and MDS groups.

RESULTSNeutrophils, reticulocytes, and serum ferritin and lactate dehydrogenase levels increased in the MDS group compared with those in the CAA group. There were significant differences in bone marrow blast cell counts and dyshematopoiesis phenomena of three lines blood cells between the CAA and MDS groups. The bone marrow CD34+ cell counts and the rate of chromosomal abnormalities detected in bone marrow cytogenetic analysis in the MDS group were significantly higher than those in the CAA group.

CONCLUSIONSThere are differences in the results of laboratory examinations and morphological and cytogenetic examinations of bone marrow between the children with CAA and MDS. The differences are useful to the differential diagnosis of the two diseases.