Blood Disorders Anemia Transient Erythroblastopenia of Childhood By Amber Yates, MD Amber Yates, MD LinkedIn Twitter Amber Yates, MD, is a board-certified pediatric hematologist and a practicing physician at Baylor College of Medicine. Learn about our editorial process Updated on February 20, 2022 Medically reviewed Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Douglas A. Nelson, MD Medically reviewed by Douglas A. Nelson, MD LinkedIn Douglas A. Nelson, MD, is a board-certified oncologist and hematologist who previously served for 13 years as a physician in the US Air Force. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Fact checked Verywell Health content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. 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Learn about our editorial process Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Symptoms Risk Factors Diagnosis Causes Duration Treatments Although the words might seem scary, transient erythroblastopenia of childhood (TEC) is a self-limited anemia of childhood. It is the most common cause of decreased red blood cell production in childhood. Erythroblasts are the cells that develop into red blood cells and -penia comes from the Greek word for deficiency. Essentially, the anemia results from an inability of the bone marrow to produce red blood cells for some period of time. naumoid / Getty Images Symptoms The anemia in TEC is a slow process so some children may have no symptoms. These children might be found incidentally with routine blood work or may recover without ever coming to medical attention. In other patients, symptoms are related to anemia. They include: Fatigue or tirednessPallor or pale skinDizzinessRapid heartbeat, known as tachycardiaShortness of breath Risk Factors As the name suggests, TEC occurs in childhood. The majority of children are diagnosed between one and four years of age. Boys appear to have a slightly increased risk compared to girls. Diagnosis There is no single diagnostic test for TEC. Some patients may be identified by routine blood work for well child checks. In other patients, if anemia is suspected, the doctor may start by ordering a complete blood count (CBC). In general, the CBC will reveal isolated anemia. Occasionally there may be neutropenia (a decreased number of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell). The red blood cells are normal sized but can be enlarged when the patient starts to recover. The next part of the workup is a reticulocyte count. Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells just released from the bone marrow. Early in the course, the reticulocyte count is down, called reticulocytopenia. Once the bone marrow suppression resolves, the reticulocyte count goes up (higher than normal) to replenish the red blood cell supply and returns to normal when the anemia resolves. During the work-up, it is very important to distinguish TEC from Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA), an inherited form of anemia. Patients with DBA have severe lifelong anemia. Patients with DBA are generally younger (under the age of 1) at diagnosis and the red blood cells are larger than normal (macrocytosis). Rarely, if the diagnosis is not clear a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy may need to be performed. Sometimes the best confirmatory test for TEC is that the patient recovers in 2 to 8 weeks without intervention. Causes The short answer is we don’t know. About one-half of patients will report a viral illness 2 - 3 months prior to diagnosis. It is suspected that a virus causes temporary suppression of red blood cell production in the bone marrow. Several viruses have been associated with TEC but none on a consistent basis. Duration In most cases, TEC resolves in 1 to 2 months but there are reports of children taking longer to recover. Treatments Observation: If anemia is mild and your child is asymptomatic, no treatment may be necessary. Your physician may trend your child’s blood count over time until it is resolved. Corticosteroids: Sometimes steroids like prednisone have been used but there is no solid evidence that this treatment shortens the time to recovery. Transfusion: If the anemia is severe or your child is symptomatic from the anemia (dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, elevated heart rate, etc.) a blood transfusion may be given. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 3 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Turner J, Parsi M, Badireddy M. Anemia. StatPearls. Updated January 9, 2022. Genetic Rare Diseases Information Center. Transient erythroblastopenia of childhood. Ast AM, Slayton W. Transient erythroblastopenia of childhood– TEC. Cancer Therapy Advisor. Updated 2017.