Where is bone marrow located?

Location of bone marrow in the body

Bone marrow is defined as a soft, spongy tissue It is located in the center of most bones in the body. It consists of connective tissue, blood vessels, and capillaries.  It is also the part responsible for producing new blood cells.

Types of bone marrow

There are two types of bone marrow:

• Yellow bone marrow:

This type helps store fats in fat cells, in addition to being the part responsible for producing fats, bones, and cartilage. It should be noted that yellow bone marrow has the ability to transform into red bone marrow in cases accompanied by severe bleeding in the body.

• Red bone marrow:

Red bone marrow is found in the marrow cavity within the flat bones of the body. Like the bones of the skull, it is also found in the spongy material found at the ends of the long bones in the body. Such as the femur and humerus, and it is noteworthy that red bone marrow is the type responsible for producing red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Bone marrow function

Bone marrow in the human body performs many necessary tasks, the most prominent of which are listed below:

• Red blood cell production:

They are the cells responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the body's cells, and in return transporting carbon dioxide to the lungs to get rid of it.

• Production of several types of white blood cells:

Such as lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes. White blood cells are necessary to maintain the integrity of the immune system and fight infections.

• Platelet production:

It is necessary for blood clotting in order to stop bleeding.

• Response to changes affecting blood components:

The bone marrow increases the production of white blood cells in the event of an infection, and increases the production of platelets when bleeding occurs, while its response to bleeding or lack of oxygen in the body is by producing a larger amount of red blood cells.

The most common problems affecting bone marrow

Exist A group of health disorders that may affect the bone marrowHere is a list of some of them:

• Aplastic anemia:

Aplastic anemia occurs due to the inability of the bone marrow to produce blood. This health condition usually appears when a person is between 15-30 years old. It is worth noting that the person suffering from aplastic anemia suffers from different symptoms; Such as feeling physically weak, experiencing subcutaneous bleeding, and having a fever. This condition can be treated through a healthy bone marrow transplant.

• Leukemia or leukemia:

Leukemia A type of leukemia. This type of cancer begins in the bone marrow, causing the affected person to suffer from bruising on the skin, anemia, and nosebleeds. There are multiple treatment options available for cases of leukemia, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation.

• Iron deficiency anemia:

Iron deficiency anemia leads to the production of deformed and small red blood cells from the bone marrow, causing the patient to suffer from symptoms of anemia of varying severity.

• Myelodysplastic syndrome:

Myelodysplastic Syndrome represents a group of diseases that are accompanied by abnormal production of bone marrow cells, which results in disruption of the production of normal blood cells, and thus the chance of infection and bleeding increases, and the affected person suffers from anemia.

• Myelosuppression or bone marrow suppression:

Bone marrow depression may be caused by radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or bone marrow transplantation.

Article summary

Bone marrow is located in the center of most bones in the body, and it is the part responsible for producing red and white blood cells and platelets. It is noted that there are two types of bone marrow, one is red marrow, and the other is yellow marrow, and each of them has a specific function, and it is the same as the rest of the body parts, as it may Bone marrow is vulnerable to some health disorders such as tumors, myelodysplastic syndrome, and aplastic anemia.