Myelosuppression is a decrease in bone marrow activity, often caused by chemotherapy. It can lead to anemia and immunosuppression, making patients vulnerable to infections. Treatment plans can be modified to address this, and bone marrow transplants can deliberately induce myelosuppression. Patients should be closely monitored and may require hospitalization.
Myelosuppression is a reduction in bone marrow activity, resulting in a decrease in the number of red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells. This condition is most commonly seen as a side effect of medications, although there are instances where it can be deliberately induced, such as when patients are preparing for a bone marrow transplant. While the bone marrow is functioning below normal levels, the patient is at risk and should be monitored very closely. In some cases, hospitalization is recommended for people with myelosuppression until the bone marrow is functioning normally.
One of the most common reasons a patient has this condition is chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Myelosuppression is a listed side effect with many chemotherapy drugs and should be considered when developing a treatment plan for a patient and monitoring the patient during treatment. Because death from cancer has a more immediate risk, patients usually receive these drugs anyway, but the treatment regimen can be adapted to address the drop in bone marrow activity.
While someone is myelosuppressed, the bone marrow doesn’t make as many blood cells as it should. Since many blood cells have a very short life in the body, the patient can start experiencing medical complications almost immediately. These include anemia due to a low red blood cell count, as well as immunosuppression caused by a low white blood cell count. The patient is at risk of developing serious infections and not being able to fight them, and a relatively benign organism can become dangerous.
Patients on chemotherapy and other drugs known to have a myelosuppressive effect usually have regular blood tests to check their health. They will also be interviewed for signs of complications such as tiredness and malaise. If a patient experiences rapid myelosuppression, a course of chemotherapy can be modified to give the bone marrow more time to recover between treatments. The patient can also be hospitalized in a clean environment to reduce the risk of developing a fatal infection.
When myelosuppression is deliberately induced for a bone marrow transplant, the patient will be kept in the hospital and monitored as bone marrow activity is reduced with medication. When doctors are satisfied with the level of suppression, the donor marrow can be infused. This bone marrow will start working in the patient’s body, making new blood cells and bringing blood counts back to normal levels.
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