[Bone marrow failure]

Bone marrow failure Abstract. Bone marrow failure involves a heterogeneous spectrum of rare benign hematological disorders caused by an impaired bone marrow function. Bone marrow failure can be acquired (acquired aplastic anemia) or congenital (inherited bone marrow failures). The disease is clinically characterized by cytopenias of one or more blood cell line (anemia, neutropenia and / or thrombocytopenia), possibly combined with signs of hemolysis and thrombophilia in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria or morphological abnormalities in inherited forms. Due to significant advances in molecular genetic diagnostics, a comprehensive differentiation of an acquired or congenital form is central, since the cause of disease significantly affects the choice of therapy. Standard therapy has changed little in past decades (immunosuppression and / or allogeneic stem cell transplantation), however thrombopoietin receptor agonists just recently showed an improvement of all three blood cell lines in acquired aplastic anemia and are likely to be included in the future treatment algorithms. This article gives an overview of the disease, diagnosis and therapy of this heterogeneous disease group.