Nature's Sunshine Products NSP Forum Index Nature's Sunshine Products NSP
For customer and distributor discussions of Nature's Sunshine Products. Not an official site of NSP.
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Myelofibrosis

 
This forum is locked: you cannot post, reply to, or edit topics.   This topic is locked: you cannot edit posts or make replies.    Nature's Sunshine Products NSP Forum Index -> Forum Archive
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
CombinedNSP
Site Admin


Joined: 13 Dec 2006
Posts: 1406
Location: Cleveland, OH

PostPosted: Dec Thu 14, 2006 11:15 pm    Post subject: Myelofibrosis Reply with quote

Myelofibrosis

Well, I think she means Myelofibrosis. This is nasty. The bone marrow basically has gone haywire, fibrosis develops it is thick tissue like a scars. Bone-marrow examination helps to diagnose this diseases related to the blood and blood-forming organs. Hpwever, this becomes impossible because of the fibrosis. The body then goes to it's reserve liver, and spleen, but this is insufficient, so the patient develops anemia. The patient is breathless, extremely tired and usually has abdomen distention. It is a blood disease basically. If the disease is progressive the prognosis is poor. Consisting of blood transfusion pretty regularly for severe anemia. The client needs a stress free environment.

Brief description
Myelofibrosis (also called agnogenic myeloid metaplasia) is a myeloproliferative disorder in which the bone marrow is initially over-active, but then develops scar tissue (fibrosis). The normal bone marrow has a very fine network of fibres supporting the blood forming tissues. In myelofibrosis this network is coarsened and thickened so that normal blood cell production is blocked. As a result normal blood production switches to the liver and spleen which become enlarged. Producing blood cells in the liver and the spleen is not efficient and so patients frequently develop anemia.

Causes Myelofibrosis is thought to result from abnormal bone marrow stem cells. The abnormal cells produce growth factors which stimulate scar tissue in the bone marrow. In some patients myelofibrosis follows on from polycythemia vera or essential thrombocythemia. There are Leukemia Research Fund leaflets available on these two conditions. However in other patients there is no evidence of prior polycythemia vera or essential thrombocythemia, and in these patients the term primary myelofibrosis is used. The cause of primary myelofibrosis is unknown.

Signs and symptoms
Some patients have no symptoms and myelofibrosis may be discovered as a chance finding after a routine blood test. More usually patients feel tired or breathless because of anemia, or notice some abdominal discomfort resulting from the presence of a large spleen.

Diagnosis Myelofibrosis is usually suspected following the results of a simple blood test which measures the number of the various blood cells. Abnormally shaped red cells are characteristic. Confirmation of the diagnosis requires a number of subsequent investigations, and analysis of a bone marrow sample to detect the scar tissue. This involves obtaining a small amount of marrow from inside the bone with a needle, and a sample from the bone itself showing the structure of the bone marrow cavity. The first is known as a bone marrow aspirate, the second as a bone marrow trephine. The trephine will show the fibrosis which is characteristic of the disease. The samples are usually obtained from the back of the hip bone, although the sternum (breast bone) may be used instead for bone marrow aspirates (but not for trephines). The procedure causes some discomfort but does not take very long. The procedure is usually carried out with sedation as well as local anaesthetic.

Treatment
The appropriate choice of treatment for an individual patient with myelofibrosis will depend on the details of each case. Patients who do not have severe anemia and have no symptoms are usually seen regularly in the out-patient clinic but may not need treatment.

Patients who have severe anemia will require regular blood transfusions, usually every one to three months. These can usually be carried out during the day without the patient having to stay in hospital overnight. In some patients an enlarged spleen may cause problems by becoming painful or by consuming normal blood cells and thus making the anemia worse. In such cases the large spleen may respond to drugs (e.g. hydroxyurea). Alternatively an operation to remove the spleen (splenectomy) can be helpful. There is a fact sheet on Splenectomy and Infection available from the Leukemia Research Fund. The course of myelofibrosis is very variable. Some patients have a mild disease which does not progress rapidly. In such cases the condition is relatively benign and need not interfere significantly with the patient's activity and working life. In other cases the disease progresses more quickly and patients become dependent on blood transfusions. Finally a small proportion of patients with myelofibrosis may develop acute myeloid leukemia. There is a Leukemia Research Fund booklet available on Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

The usual management of myelofibrosis is to endeavor to keep the patient comfortable and well without upsetting them with the side-effects of the treatment. In such a chronic condition with such a variable outcome, predictions of how an individual case will develop and what line of treatment should be followed must be determined individually between the patient and their doctor(s). Occasionally the disease changes into acute myeloid leukemia which then tends to have a poor outlook. -Dee
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
This forum is locked: you cannot post, reply to, or edit topics.   This topic is locked: you cannot edit posts or make replies.    Nature's Sunshine Products NSP Forum Index -> Forum Archive All times are GMT - 6 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group