Can aplastic anemia be misdiagnosed with iron deficiency anemia?

Anything can be misdiagnosed as anything. Aplastic anemia is a failure of bone marrow production and can affect all lines of production. Typically it is caused by bone marrow suppression secondary to cytotoxic chemotherapy, tumor invading the bone marrow, and also by nutritional deficiencies including b12 and folate deficiencies. Severe iron deficiency can cause reduced red blood cell production.

Never say never, but aplastic anemia has low hemoglobin, low white cell count and low platelets. Iron deficiency generally has low hemoglobin and elevated platelet counts but normal white cell count.