Definition

A medical condition where the bone marrow becomes filled with fibrous tissue, leading to anemia and often causing the spleen and liver to enlarge.

Example

The doctor diagnosed him with myelofibrosis after reviewing his blood tests and symptoms.

Conversation

I heard that my uncle was diagnosed with myelofibrosis recently.

Oh no, that sounds serious. What does that mean for him?

It means his bone marrow is getting stiff, which can cause anemia and other issues.

I hope he gets the treatment he needs; that sounds really tough to deal with.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Myelofibrosis is formed from "myelo-" (from Greek "myelos", meaning marrow) and "fibrosis" (from Latin "fibra", meaning fiber, and the suffix "-osis", indicating a condition). The term refers to a condition involving the formation of fibrous tissue in the bone marrow.

Memory Tip

Think of 'myelo-' as relating to 'marrow' and 'fibrosis' as the condition of having 'fibers' — together, they describe a condition of fibrous tissue in the marrow.

Visually Confused Words