MARSHA: SpleenicSplendor (e/Roma)

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/15/2004 10:28:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

weavfl@... writes:

Roma,

Thank-you for the deft & diplomatic

correction to my wayward comment

on spleens/iron...I was not only out

of the ball park, but off the planet...

NOPE!!!! Actually, YOU WERE ***NOT**** OUT OF THE BALL PARK, Marsha! Your

contribution demonstrated a certain command of the complexities of diverse

manifestations of anemia in the realm of hematopathology!!!

HA! HA! :-) Hey, Don't I sound mighty professorial today?!!!!

Actually, Marsha, you were...(as my third grade teacher was fond of saying)

" on the right TRACK, but on the wrong TRAIN!!! "

But, get on board, now, and hear the part of the RBC story you were

referring to....

In the fetus, blood cells are NOT produced in the bone marrow, as they are

in a healthy adult.

Up until a few weeks before birth, a fetus' s (sp???) red blood cells are

actually produced in the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Just before birth, that

job is handed over to the marrow. BUT-those liver/spleen/lymph nodes still

have the primitive blood-producing CELLS, so they DO have still the

**capability***.

And under certain conditions (when the marrow slows down, or there is a

destruction of RBCs) those areas, like the spleen can resume extramarrow (I

think

that's a word, like " extramarital? " ...)red blood cell production.

The term for that " extramarrow blood cell production " is " Extramedullary

Hematopoiesis " , and yes, you DO have to know that, AND PRONOUNCE IT

CORRECTLY----because it WILL be on the final!!

Anyway, bottom line--Certain types of anemias (like those of chronic disease)

and of course other diseases like leukemia DO INVOLVE the spleen. e's

anemia (iron deficiency) fortunately, DOES NOT. (Some things e is

spared!!!!):-)

Also, BTW, enjoyed the cool spleen site!!! (The WEB site, that is, not the

anatomical site!!!)

-Roma

SEE: Star Wars Roleplaying Game-

THE NET GUIDE TO SPLEENS

http://www.starwars-rpg.net/journal/spleen.pdf

and I am so glad and relieved to hear

e that you are getting good care...

Go hon, Go!

Marsha

-- In uterinefibroids , ARomaWithAView@a... wrote:

>

> In e's case I don't think she need worry about her spleen,

Marsh.

> The spleen produces red cells before we are born, but after birth,

our bone marrow takes care over this function. However the spleen is

responsible for the removal and subsequent recycling of

approximately 90% of all our old red

> cells. Sometimes here too it can take

> out red cells more aggressively than normal.

But iron deficiency is not a problem with red blood cell production

or destruction........