![]() ![]() Increased pressure on blood flowing into your liver.People exposed to very high levels of radiation have an increased risk of myelofibrosis.Ĭomplications that may result from myelofibrosis include: Myelofibrosis has been linked to exposure to industrial chemicals such as toluene and benzene. A small portion of people with myelofibrosis develop the condition as a complication of essential thrombocythemia or polycythemia vera. Myelofibrosis can affect anyone, but it's most often diagnosed in people older than 50. Risk factorsĪlthough the cause of myelofibrosis often isn't known, certain factors are known to increase your risk: ![]() Knowing whether these gene mutations are associated with your myelofibrosis helps determine your prognosis and your treatment. Some people with myelofibrosis don't have any identifiable gene mutations. Other less common mutations include CALR and MPL. The most common is the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) gene mutation. Several specific gene mutations have been identified in people with myelofibrosis. In people with myelofibrosis, the normally spongy bone marrow becomes scarred. The end result is usually a lack of red blood cells - which causes the anemia characteristic of myelofibrosis - and an overabundance of white blood cells and varying levels of platelets. As more and more of these mutated cells are created, they begin to have serious effects on blood production. It's not clear what causes the genetic mutations in bone marrow stem cells.Īs the mutated blood stem cells replicate and divide, they pass along the mutations to the new cells. The stem cells have the ability to replicate and divide into the multiple specialized cells that make up your blood - red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Myelofibrosis occurs when bone marrow stem cells develop changes (mutations) in their DNA.
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