Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), sometimes referred to as myelodysplasia, are a group of blood disorders that occur when the bone marrow produces immature and poorly-functioning blood cells instead of healthy ones. The disorder begins when a defect occurs in a bone marrow stem cell. That defective stem cell then creates blood cells that have the same defect. These defective blood cells outnumber and crowd out healthy cells over time. The defective cells also live longer than the healthy cells, and produce chemicals that cause other stem cells to die too early. Over time, myelodysplastic syndrome can progress into acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).
In the United States alone, between 12,000 and 20,000 people are diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome each year. The condition typically affects older adults, although the number of cases in younger people has increased in recent years. Exposure to benzene can be a cause of myelodysplastic syndrome.
About half of all patients diagnosed with MDS have no symptoms at the time of diagnosis. The following can be symptoms of the disease in patients who do develop symptoms:
- Easy bruising
- Bruising with no apparent cause
- Chronic fatigue
- Excessive bleeding, such as nose bleeds and bleeding from the gums
- Palpitations
- Skin pallor (pale skin)
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Dizziness
- Slow-healing cuts
- Mouth ulcers
- General weakness
- Infections?
