| Aplastic Anemia is a dangerous Bone Marrow Disease. |
Aplastic Anemia
Aplastic Anemia is a non-contagious disease that occurs when the bone marrow stops making enough healthy blood cells for the body’s needs. The human body makes three types of blood cells: red cells, which contain hemoglobin and deliver oxygen to all parts of the body; white cells, which help fight infections; and platelets, which help blood clot when we bleed. Every 17 minutes, someone is diagnosed with a bone marrow disease; an estimated 30,000 people throughout the United States are stricken, without regard for age, gender or race. Since doctors are not required to report incidences of bone marrow disease to the government, statistics on how many people are affected are mere estimates, and the number of patients affected could, in fact, be much higher than documented.
(from the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation website)
Another way I've heard it described is that Aplastic Anemia occurs when the body stops making blood. Yup, pretty serious stuff. An interesting way to picture the difference between Aplastic Anemia and Leukemia (because they are two very different illnesses) is how a friend once explained it to me. He said, "If your Bone Marrow is a garden, when you have Leukemia, that garden if full of weeds, or cancer cells. When you have Aplastic Anemia, that garden has no seeds." So you pretty much have empty bone marrow. In order to get it working again, you need to sort of "shock" it with an immunosuppresive therapy hoping that it kicks in and starts up again, or completely replace it with marrow that works (Bone Marrow Transplant).
Other bone marrow diseases
There are other Bone Marrow Diseases besides Aplastic Anemia. There's one called MDS, which stands for Myelodysplastic Syndrome. With MDS, the bone marrow and stem cells don't function properly. Again, follow the link below for the complete rundown.
Another Bone Marrow Disease that is even more rare than MDS and Aplastic Anemia is called PNH, or Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria. PNH is even a bit more complicated than the other diseases. Normal red blood cells have a protective layer on them, and with PNH, the stem cells produce the red blood cells, but the protective layer is defective.
The aplastic anemia & mds international foundation, inc
Please visit the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation's website (AA&MDSIF). It's a home base for information on all of the Bone Marrow Diseases.
Quick Links to information on the diseases: