bone marrow suppression

suppression /sup·pres·sion/ (sŭ-presh´un)

1. the act of holding back or checking.

2. sudden stoppage of a secretion, excretion, or normal discharge.

3. in psychiatry, conscious inhibition of an unacceptable impulse or idea as contrasted with repression, which is unconscious.

4. in genetics, masking of the phenotypic expression of a mutation by the occurrence of a second (suppressor) mutation at a different site from the first; the organism appears to be reverted but is in fact doubly mutated.

5. inhibition of the erythrocytic stage of plasmodium as prophylaxis for clinical attacks of malaria.

6. cortical inhibition of perception of objects in all or part of the visual field of one eye during binocular vision.

---

bone marrow suppression  suppression of bone marrow activity, resulting in reduction in the number of platelets, red cells, and white cells.

overdrive suppression  transient suppression of automaticity in a cardiac pacemaker following a period of stimulation by a more rapidly discharging pacemaker.

---

Bone marrow suppression

A decrease in cells responsible for providing immunity, carrying oxygen, and those responsible for normal blood clotting.

Mentioned in: Cancer Therapy, Definitive

---

bone marrow suppression,

suppression of bone marrow activity, resulting in reduction in the number of platelets, red cells, and white cells, such as in aplastic anemia. Also called myelosuppression.

---

bone marrow

the soft, organic material in the cavities of bones, a network of blood vessels and special connective tissue fibers that hold together a composite of fat and blood-producing cells.

The chief function of bone marrow is to manufacture erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets. These blood cells normally do not enter the bloodstream until they are fully developed, so that the bone marrow contains cells in all stages of development. If the body's demand for white cells is increased because of infection, the bone marrow responds immediately by increasing production. The same is true if more red blood cells are needed, as in hemorrhage or anemia.

There are two types of bone marrow, red and yellow. The former produces the blood cells; the latter, which is mainly formed of fatty tissue, normally has no blood cell-producing function.

---

bone marrow aplasia

any of the three cell lines may be singularly aplastic but a pancytopenic abnormality is most common. See also aplastic anemia.

bone marrow aspiration

see bone marrow biopsy.

congenital bone marrow hypoplasia

see osteopetrosis.

bone marrow-derived cells

see B lymphocyte.

bone marrow displacement

see myelophthisis.

bone marrow dyscrasia

abnormal cell production by the bone marrow. Occurs in some dog breeds, especially Poodles, in which there are maturation abnormalities of erythrocytes with macrocytosis and hypersegmented neutrophils.

bone marrow spaces

the cavities in cancellous bone that are usually filled with bone marrow.

bone marrow suppression

some drugs and infectious agents can cause reduced erythropoiesis, myelopoiesis and megakaryocytopoiesis. See also anemia, pancytopenia.

toxic bone marrow arrest

see resurgence granulopoiesis.

bone marrow transplantation

the transfer of bone marrow from a normal, antigenically matched individual to another, usually for treatment of aplastic anemia, immunodeficiency or metabolic disorders.

---

bone marrow suppression

Oncology A reduction of BM stem cells, a side effect of chemotherapeutics and antivirals–eg, AZT; BMS leads to ↓ WBCs, RBCs and platelets, ergo, anemia, bacterial infections and spontaneous or excess bleeding