Bone Marrow Morphology in Patients in Long‐Term Treatment with Azathioprine

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Abstract
The bone marrow was morphologically analyzed in 25 patients receiving long-term azathioprine [an immunosuppressive agent] therapy for chronic renal diseases or after a renal transplantation. There were no significant changes within the granulopoietic or lymphopoietic part of bone marrow even after 10 yr of treatment. There was a significant shift to the left within erythropoiesis and greater frequencies of megaloblasts and sideroblasts. A significant increase of erythroblastic islands may indicate an increased death rate of defective erythroblasts. The changes within erythropoiesis in some patients were so pronounced that the possibility of a preleukemic condition cannot be excluded.