The best hospital for MDS is Mayo Clinic because of their respect they earned for their expertise in providing individualized care for those with MDS or myelodysplastic syndromes.
MDS is not a form of anemia although MDS can cause Anemia as well as bleeding and frequent infections that will not stop.
MDS which is Myelodysplastic Syndrome (Myelodysplasia) Myelodysplastic syndrome (also called myelodysplasia or MDS) affects blood stem cells.
Myelodysplastic syndrome or MDS is a condition that can occur when the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow become abnormal.
When this happens it can lead to low numbers of one or more types of blood cells.
MDS is also considered a type of cancer.
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a type of rare blood cancer where you don't have enough healthy blood cells.
It's also known as myelodysplasia.
There are many different types of MDS.
Some types can stay mild for years and others are more serious.
Often, it's not known why people without inherited syndromes develop MDS.
Some outside exposures can lead to MDS by damaging the DNA inside bone marrow cells.
For example, tobacco smoke contains chemicals that can damage genes.
The prognosis of MDS is variable. Some people with MDS live for years and require little or no treatment.
For others, MDS is more aggressive and may evolve into acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a disease with a poor prognosis that requires more urgent treatment.
Older age is one of the most important risk factors for MDS.
MDS is uncommon in people younger than 50, and most cases are found in people in their 70s or 80s.
With current treatments, people with lower-risk types of some MDS can live for 5 years or even longer.
People with higher-risk MDS that becomes acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are likely to have a shorter life span.
MDS can develop slowly or quickly depending on the type you have.
Doctors divide the different types of MDS into groups or subtypes.
The system they use is called a classification system.
The most commonly used classification system for MDS in the UK is the World Health Organisation (WHO) system.
The pace of progression of MDS varies.
In some individuals the MDS condition worsens within a few months of diagnosis, while others have relatively little problem for several decades.
In about 50 percent of cases, MDS deteriorates into a form of cancer known as acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Most often, MDS is not inherited, or passed from parent to child within a family.
However, some genetic changes may increase a person's risk of developing MDS or other similar disorders, such as AML.
This increased risk is called a germline predisposition.
The signs and symptoms of MDS include.
Fatigue.
Weakness.
Shortness of breath.
Lightheadedness.
Easy bruising or bleeding.
Fever.
Frequent infections and bone pain.
Doctors may use blood transfusions to help relieve symptoms in people who have myelodysplastic syndromes characterized by low red blood cell or platelet levels.
Transfusions of red blood cells can help manage the fatigue and weakness associated with anemia.