Gelatinous transformation of the bone marrow
This is a high power view of bone marrow from a patient with AIDS who died of extreme wasting (cachexia). It shows a few remaining megakaryocytes and haemopoietic cells but the marrow has been replaced by gelatinous, grey-staining material. This is gelatinous transformation of the bone marrow, a degenerative condition associated with extreme illness and wasting. The most important cause now is HIV/AIDS but it is also seen in visceral leishmaniasis, advanced tuberculosis and advanced malignant conditions (as at time of writing: 2003). It is associated with pancytopenia and anaemia. H&E stain.
