Bone marrow

Bone Marrow Bone marrow is soft, gelatinous tissue found in hollow spaces in the interior of most bones. It is highly vascular and enriched with many blood vessels and capillaries. The average weight of bone marrow is about four percent of the total body weight (Bone Marrow Anatomy). Bones that contain bone marrow are: the hip bone, breast bone, skull, ribs, vertebrae, shoulder blade and thigh bone. Bone marrow contains immature cells, called stem cells. It is the place where new blood cells are produced. 200 billion new red blood cells are made by bone marrow within a lifetime. Healthy bone marrow produces between 150 thousand to 450 thousand platelets per microliter of blood (the amount of blood that fits on the head of a pin) each day.…

Bone marrow aspiration and bone marrow biopsy are invasive procedures that involve the collection of the blood cell forming soft tissue. The bone marrow assists in forming bone cells, and is a spongy tissue that is found within the hollow areas in bones. Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration are performed for individuals with a variety of conditions. These are commonly done for people with ranges of anemia, suspected tumors that may have spread to this region, or blood disorders such as…

You’ve recently been diagnosed with bone marrow failure. Originally you visited your physician because you had begun to feel exhaustion, even after doing the smallest of household chores. Then you started noticing that your attention span was faltering and you were beginning to experience a malaise that you couldn’t attribute to your life’s events. You knew something was amiss, so you scheduled a visit with your family physician. Your doctor ran the usual tests, and, because you had no…

diverse mix of people to the bone marrow registry to save those with blood diseases. While what we do is all volunteering based and not in hospitals being the ones taking others bone marrow, we learn about the donation process. As regards to safety during the bone marrow donation process, they sterilize your arm or the area around your pubic bone depending on the type of donation needed. The nurses make sure there is no contamination in the area where the needle is inserted. Then the nurses…

Aplastic anemia is a disease that originates from the bone marrow. Thousands of people worldwide are diagnosed with this disease each year. What is Aplastic anemia? To answer this, we must first establish a commonality in language: namely, what causes this disease? Aplastic anemia is a life threatening condition that causes a deficiency of all types of blood cells in the body by a failure of the bone marrow development. The symptoms of this disorder is very similar to a type of cancer known as…

Canada Cancer Society has been doing a great deal of research with stem cells, and have begun to find other methods that would be considered as a more appropriate way to harvest stem cells. The Canadian Cancer Society reports that “Stem cells are 10–100 times more concentrated in bone marrow than in peripheral blood” (Canadian Cancer Society). This research being done is one of the many promising ways to harvest stem cells without compromising another life. Patients who are treated with this…

you have acute myelogenous leukemia. The first symptom that will occur in leukemia is fatigue, or extreme tiredness and lack of energy you will feel all the time. You will also have infections that will occur more often repeatedly, often in the bones were leukemia is taking place. The third symptom is that, your body will also bruise easily, making you have red dots on your skin, and your skin will also lose its color and turn pale. People may also have in the…

(MM) is a chronic (long-lasting) and progressive (worsening over time) disease that requires a long-term plan to help manage it”. The 5-year survival rate of multiple myeloma is 49%, meaning that 49% of patients live for at least 5 years after the cancer is found. The disease also grows worse over time, making it extremely difficult to deal with the longer it progresses. Another way multiple myeloma is described is from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (or MMRF) which says “Multiple…

Leukemia is a cancer of white blood cells and the bone marrow. Leukemia can be classified as acute or chronic depending on the rate of growth. There are four types of leukemia: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), and Acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Treatment options are determined by the type of leukemia and the individual. Common treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Immunotherapy, vaccine therapy,…

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, blood vessels, and blood (“Major Functions,” n.d.). Leukemia is a malignant cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects this system and involves an abnormal growth of white blood cells (McGlaufin, Munger, and Nelson, 2015). Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a subtype of this disease and is most common in older adults, specifically males 65 and older (Turbeville, 2014). In AML, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells, red blood…