What is bone marrow?
The bone marrow is a soft, spongy tissue found inside the bones. The bone marrow in the hips, breast bone, spine, ribs, and skull contain cells that produce the body’s blood cells. The bone marrow is responsible for the development and storage of about 95 percent of the body’s blood cells. The three main types of blood cells produced in the bone marrow include: • red blood cells (erythrocytes) – carry oxygen to the tissues in the body. • white blood cells (leukocytes) – help fight infections and to aid in the immune system • platelets – help with blood clotting.
Bone marrow is a soft tissue found in the centre of certain bones in your body. It is this bone marrow which creates stem cells. Stem cells are the ‘building blocks’, which can grow into any of the other normal blood cells such as red cells, which carry oxygen, white cells, which fight infection, or platelets which stop bleeding.
