What Is Myelofibrosis?

Myelofibrosis is a disorder of the bone marrow, in which the marrow is replaced by scar (fibrous) tissue.

Causes

Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue inside your bones. Stem cells are immature cells in the bone marrow that give rise to all of your blood cells. Scarring of the bone marrow means the marrow is not able to make enough blood cells. bleeding problems, Anemia and a higher risk of infections may occur.

As a result, the liver and spleen try to make some of these blood cells. This causes these organs to swell, which is called extramedullary hematopoiesis. The cause of myelofibrosis is unknown.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for myelofibrosis. Treatment depends on the symptoms and degree of the low blood counts.Bone marrow or stem cell transplants appear to improve the outlook, and may cure the disease.

Outlook (Prognosis)

This disorder causes slowly worsening bone marrow failure with severe anemia. Low platelet count leads to easy bleeding. Spleen swelling may slowly get worse.

The average survival of people with primary myelofibrosis is about 5 years.