Myelodysplastic Syndrome

This article chronicles the life of a person suffering from Myelodysplastic (MDS) Syndrome. It contains information on myelodysplastic; what causes the disease, symptoms, and treatment available. Written in a non medical perspective by a person who himself suffers from MDS. As defined in the article, myelodysplastic is a malfunction of the bone marrow, which has the job of producing various cells in the blood. With myelodysplastic the bone marrow gradually produces fewer cells and those which are produced are often abnormal or do not properly mature, hence they are unable to carry out their normal function. The article then continues by enumerating and defining the composition of the blood, from stem cells, red and white cells to platelets.

Those who are normally afflicted with the disease are between the ages of 60 to 70 and are predominantly women. At the onset of the disease it is very hard to determine if a person has myelodysplastic just by physical examination. But as the disease progresses symptoms like of anemia will start to reveal. Biopsy is needed to verify if one suffers from myelodysplastic. In a biopsy a sample of the bone marrow and asmall piece of the bone is taken and examined under a high powered microscope. With the ability to magnify nth times than of an ordinary microscope the high powered microscope can determine if the cells are in order or not.

The article then underlines that myelodysplastic not contagious nor is it hereditary. With reasons unknown the article just plainly puts it “it may be just the case of the bone marrow getting tired as you get older and so acts in an enfeebled way.” Curative treatment with its pros and cons are then enumerated, starting from bone marrow transplant then to stem cell. Both treatments are expensive and do not guarantee a cure. With the bone marrow transplant a patient might reject the infused or “foreign” marrow. And there is the risk of infection. The body is subject to radiation before the bone marrow transplant killing both good and bad cells. Stem cell on the other hand is still in its infancy and will take years before it may even be considered.

Supportive care or treatment is the most viable if one has myelodysplastic. The article then emphasizes with supportive treatment or otherwise palliative care is not a treatment but a way to prolong ones life. Supportive treatment includes blood transfusion. Blood transfusion is by way of receiving donor blood which matches your own blood. Still blood transfusion has without its downside and one of this is iron starts to collect in your body after every blood transfusion.

The length or life expectancy depends on the type of MDS you have been afflicted and the stage of the disease. Myelodysplastic is classified to: refraction anemia, refraction anemia with ringed sideroblasts, refraction anemia with excess blass and refraction anemia with excess blast in transformation. To be able to determine what type of myelodysplastic you have, it is necessary to undergo bone and marrow checking. Using high powered microscope it then checks for the type and condition of the cells.

People with myelodysplastic should avoid cuts. Due to low platelet count the body will take a little more time to heal and may lead to infection. A final thought from the author on myelodysplastic; things to expect and too watch out for are included at the end of the article.Original article