Aids is now the commonest clinical condition associated with multilineage blood cytopenia in a central referral hospital in Zimbabwe.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical features and diagnosis of patients hospitalised and found to have multilineage peripheral blood cytopenias.


METHODS
Prospective cross sectional study.


METHODS
Parirenyatwa Hospital, a central referral hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe.


METHODS
231 consecutive patients whose blood parameters revealed bi- or trilinneage cytopenia during a five month period in 1996.


METHODS
1. Blood cytopenia was described as: (a) Haemoglobin concentration = or < 100 g/L (b) Total leucocyte count = or < 3.5 x 10(9)/L (c) Platelet count = or < 100 x 10(9)/L 2. Other clinical and diagnostic features.


RESULTS
The highest percentage of multilineage blood cytopenia was in the age bracket 30 to 44 years and the male to female ratio was 1.4:1. Pancytopenia was found in 32.5% of patients, while bilineage cytopenia occurred in 67.5%. The commonest bilineage pattern was the combination of anaemia and thrombocytopenia occurring in 46.3% of all study cases or 68.5% of bilineage cytopenias. Anaemia was the most frequent cytopenia; it was found in 95.2% of all study cases.


CONCLUSIONS
The commonest condition with which multilineage blood cytopenia was associated was AIDS which was diagnosed in 25.1% of the study cases.
Malyangu
E
E
Departments of Haematology and Histopathology, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe. malyangu@africaonline.co.zw
Abayomi
E A
EA
Adewuyi
J
J
Coutts
A M
AM
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007970:Leukopenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015030:Zimbabwe / Q000453:epidemiology