Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Identifying Bone Marrow Microenvironmental Populations in Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Published on: November 10, 2023
[Gelatinous bone marrow transformation in anorexia nervosa]
S Boullu-Ciocca1, P Darmon, G Sébahoun
1Service d'Endocrinologie, des Maladies Métaboliques, et de la Nutrition, Hôpital Nord, chemin des Bourrelly, 13915 Marseille Cedex 20. sandrine.boullu@ap-hm.fr
Abstract:
Moderate hematologic abnormalities, like anemia or leukopenia, are frequently seen in anorexia nervosa, whereas pancytopenia and bone marrow abnormalities are uncommon. We report a case of tricytopenia with gelatinous bone marrow transformation in anorexia nervosa. Marrow gelatinous transformation (also called serous fat atrophy or starvation marrow) is characterized by the association of marrow hypoplasia and interstitial infiltration of a ground gelatinous substance (acidic mucopolysaccharides). Changes in peripheral blood cell counts are various and moderate, and do not always reflect the severity of bone marrow damage. The pathogenesis is not yet well elucidated but is certainly related to the nutritional status because gelatinous bone marrow transformation is found in anorexia nervosa and in other clinical situations with cachexia. Gelatinous transformation of the marrow is reversible with feeding.
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