What Is the Disease of the Bone Marrow Not Producing Blood, and What Are Its Symptoms?

Aplastic anemia is a common cause of non-hematopoietic bone marrow, in which patients may find a decrease in white blood cells, hemoglobin, or platelet levels during examinations. Myelodysplastic syndromes often lead to non-hematopoietic bone marrow as well, with patients prone to symptoms such as fever and bleeding. Additionally, liver and spleen enlargement may be observed during testing. Besides, acute hematopoietic dysfunction caused by infection can also result in non-hematopoietic bone marrow. Normally, everyone's bone marrow has hematopoietic function, producing components such as white blood cells, platelets, and hemoglobin. Non-hematopoietic bone marrow is mainly caused by the following diseases:

Aplastic anemia is the most common cause of non-hematopoietic bone marrow, manifesting as a reduction in all three hematopoietic lineages in peripheral blood, resulting in normocytic normochromic anemia. Bone marrow biopsy shows hypoplasia to extreme hypoplasia, with an increase in non-hematopoietic cells and a decrease in hematopoietic cells. Chronic aplastic anemia exhibits active bone marrow proliferation with a decrease in megakaryocytes. Both types of aplastic anemia have reduced hematopoietic areas on bone marrow biopsy. Patients are prone to decreased white blood cells, hemoglobin, or platelets.

Myelodysplastic syndromes can also lead to non-hematopoietic bone marrow. Patients may experience bleeding, fever, and enlargement of the liver and spleen. Additionally, acute hematopoietic dysfunction caused by infection and bone marrow suppression induced by chemotherapy can both result in temporary hematopoietic dysfunction in bone marrow, which can be restored after controlling the underlying causes.