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Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Staging, Risk Factors, Complications, Diagnosis

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In this section of the article you will gain knowledge on risk factors for myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS, complications, tests to diagnose, staging of myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS.

Risk Factors for Myelodysplastic Syndromes or MDS

Factors that can cause risk for myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS are as follows:

  • Older age is a risk factor for myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. Majority of adults who are diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS are above the age of 60.
  • Previous treatment with chemotherapy or radiation is a risk factor for myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. Patients undergoing chemo or radiation therapy are at an enhanced risk of the disease.
  • Exposure to certain chemicals is risk factor for myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. Smoking along with exposure to pesticides increase the risk to disease
  • Exposure to heavy metals is also a factor of risk for myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. Lead along with mercury is one of the most important reasons of the disease.

Complications in Myelodysplastic Syndromes or MDS

Complications of myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS include:

  • Anemia is an obvious complication in myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. Reduction in the sum of blood cells causes anemia.
  • Recurrent infections are another symptom and a complication in myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. Lesser total of white cells can lead to infection
  • Excessive bleeding when an injury is occurred is a complication in myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. If the number of platelets are reduced , it can lead to excessive bleeding
  • Increased risk of other cancers. Myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS patients can also contact the disease of other types of leukemia.

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Complications of myelodysplastic syndromes
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Tests to Diagnose Myelodysplastic Syndromes or MDS

There are two different tests which are used to diagnose myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. If abnormality in the patients’ blood cells is detected, it is important to conduct these tests to rule out the possibilities of the diseases. There are many problems that are manifested with same symptoms.

Some of the tests along with procedures are used to diagnose the problem in an impeccable manner.

  • Blood tests to diagnose myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. Complete blood cell count along with the abnormal detection of change in their shape and size is done. Peripheral blood tests are conducted to arrive at the final result.
  • Bone marrow test to diagnose myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. Removing bone marrow for testing. For bone marrow testing a needle is used to draw the liquid from the hip bone. The fluid is the human bone marrow and it is observed under the microscope to detect the abnormal cells.

Staging of Myelodysplastic Syndromes or MDS

There are two different systems in place for staging myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS. Cancers are categorized based on the size of the tumor and also extent of the cancer. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, the treatment is prescribed for the patients and it can improve the prognosis of myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS.

Myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS is a different because it cannot be categorized based on the size of the tumor. In case of myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS, blood count, gene modifications and the age of the patients are used as parameters for categorization of the disease.

International Prognostic Scoring System or IPSS for Staging Myelodysplastic Syndromes or MDS

The IPSS system for staging myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS uses 3 factors for the categorization of the disease:

  • Quantity of the blasts available inside bone marrow.
  • Abnormality in the chromosomes.
  • Blood count of the patient.

Higher risk group could lead to the deterioration in the disease of myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS:

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  • Low level risk
  • Intermediate 1 level risk
  • Intermediate 2 level risk
  • Higher level of risk

WHO Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS) for Staging Myelodysplastic Syndromes or MDS

The WHO prognostic scoring system (WPSS) for staging myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS or the WPSS scoring system is determined by three reasons:

  • Category of the myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS depends on the WHO classification
  • Abnormality in the chromosomes.
  • Does the patient require the transfusion of the blood or not.

The WPSS system for myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS categorizes patients into 5 different groups:

  • Extremely lower level of risk
  • Low risk
  • Intermediate level of risk
  • Higher level of risk
  • Very high level of risk.

These above mentioned group categories can be used to make prognosis for the victims of myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS.

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:August 2, 2021

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