Etiological diagnosis of cytopenias in the elderly

Introduction: Cytopenias are frequently found in geriatrics. The causes are numerous due to the polypathology in this age group. The aim of this study is to investigate the contribution of the myelogram in the etiological diagnosis of these cytopenias. Patients and methods: This is a retrospective study which involved all patients over 65 years of age with cytopenias and for whom a myelogram was requested. Results and discussion: The median age of our patients was 72.42 ± 0.731 years with a sex ratio of 1.096. 59 patients had anemia. Thrombocytopenia was reported in 33 patients. Bicytopenia was found in 13 patients and pancytopenia in 17 cases. The marrow was normal in 18% of cases. Myelodysplastic syndrome was the most common etiology (25%) followed by multiple myeloma (13.64%), acute leukemia (11.37%) and vitamin deficiency (11.37%). The myelogram was consistent with a reactive marrow in 11.37% of cases. Conclusion: . Careful examination of the blood and marrow smear is necessary to determine the etiology and guide the therapeutic management.