Bone Marrow Diseases

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Diseases of the bone marrow can be life threatening because they disrupt blood cell production, which is essential for survival. Inadequate production of blood cells results in aplastic anemia. The causes of this relatively rare disease are often unknown, although some cases result from exposure to toxic chemicals, such as lead, benzene, or arsenic. Radiation from nuclear explosions or X rays can also damage the marrow because the radioactive elements involved have a strong affinity for bone marrow.

Leukemias are cancers that affect bone marrow (as well as other tissues). A cell can become cancerous at any state during the series of divisions that produce red or white blood cells. If a progenitor cell becomes cancerous at the beginning of a series of cell divisions, the leukemia is termed acute. Chronic leukemia results when cells in later stages of division become cancerous.

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