DBA is usually diagnosed in babies or toddlers. Sometimes older children or even occasionally adults can be diagnosed with DBA.
In DBA, the bone marrow does not make any red blood cells at all. Patients can be treated with steroids or blood transfusions. Sometimes patients are treated with a bone marrow transplant.
People with DBA can sometimes have other changes in their bodies, such as abnormalities of the bones, face or heart.
Iron overload is a big problem in DBA if the patients are receiving blood transfusions.