[Anemia in children].

Anemia is one of the most common symptoms in children caused by numerous underlying diseases. In majority of patients, these diseases can be correctly diagnosed through physical examination, history taking, and routine laboratory tests. Bone marrow failure syndromes associated with several genetic diseases are rare causes of anemia in childhood. We reviewed the recent progress of molecular mechanisms in bone marrow failure syndromes, such as Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS), Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA), and dyskeratosis congenita (DC), which are all predicted to involve defective ribosome synthesis. Delineation of the precise role of each gene product in ribosomal biogenesis and hematopoiesis may have both therapeutic and prognostic significance.