Dorothy FarrarMyelodysplastisches Syndrom
The term myelodysplastic syndrome describes five different diseases that affect the bone marrow. MDS – often also referred to as myelodysplasia – results in impaired blood formation. The blood is formed from genetically degenerated stem cells instead of healthy cells. In myelodysplastic syndrome, the bone marrow can no longer produce functional blood cells. The result is often fatal leukemia.
Myelodysplastic syndrome: description
The definition of a myelodysplastic syndrome describes various hematological diseases of the bone marrow as a collective term. These lead to a serious blood formation disorder. The various forms of the myelodysplastic syndrome often only appear at an advanced age after the age of sixty.
The course of the disease can vary greatly depending on age, state of health and the stage of the disease. The treatment must be correspondingly flexible. Without treatment, myelodysplastic syndrome leads to death. Patients with a low risk of leukemia are differentiated from those with high-risk myelodysplasia. The mortality rate in the high-risk patients is much higher.
causes
The causes of the disease for all forms of myelodysplastic syndrome lie in genetically modified blood cells. The more degenerated blood cells are produced by the bone marrow, the more likely acute myeloid leukemia is as a secondary disease. Genetic changes that lead to myelodysplastic syndrome become more common with age. It is not yet sufficiently clear why the blood cells change pathologically, at least for the more common primary MDS.Secondary myelodysplastic syndrome occurs as a result of damage to the blood-forming cells. In this case, the possible triggers are chromosome mutations after chemotherapy treatments , accidents in nuclear reactors or due to nuclear radiation on a test site. A secondary myelodysplastic syndrome can also occur after radiological cancer treatments or through carcinogenic solvents. The myelodysplastic syndrome is also seen as a precursor to leukemia because of its frequent outcome.
symptoms and course
Typical symptoms of myelodysplastic syndrome:
The classic cardinal symptom of a myelodysplastic syndrome is increasing anemia . As a consequence of the increasing anemia, the patients are tired, often have nosebleeds and feel less and less productive. Pallor of the skin, breathing problems, dizziness and tachycardia can also be signs of anemia. In addition, a myelodysplastic syndrome can lead to an immune deficiency due to a lack of leukocytes or leukopenia .
Fever attacks and pneumonia occur as a result of the immune deficiency . Other hallmarks of a myelodysplastic syndrome may be an increased bleeding tendency or thrombocytopenia . A striking number of bruises without an identifiable cause can indicate a myelodysplastic syndrome. Half of the MDS patients have no symptoms whatsoever.
Myelodysplastic syndrome is discovered incidentally in half of the cases. If this is not the case, the success of the treatment decreases with each stage of the disease. If the myelodysplastic syndrome remains undetected for a long time, it can lead to death within a year in the worst case or within a period of several years in the best case. About 30 percent of those affected die of acute leukemia.
Diagnose
The diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome is often incidental. If a myelodysplastic syndrome is suspected, differential diagnostic, hematological and laboratory diagnostic tests are used. Laboratory parameters such as the number and size of blood platelets or determination of iron storage levels can provide clues about the disease. The gene or chromosome analysis in the laboratory provides information about the existing damage to the bone marrow cells.
It is important to determine the exact form of the present myelodysplastic syndrome and the previous genetic cell changes. In addition, the exact stage of the disease must be determined. In the case of a myelodysplastic syndrome, the determined findings decide on the necessary therapy steps. In addition to the blood test , the examination of the bone marrow through a puncture provides information about the status of the disease.
treatment and therapy
Due to the different causes and forms of the disease, several strategies are used therapeutically for a myelodysplastic syndrome. Careful risk assessment makes sense for all therapies. Therefore, the MD patients are classified into low-risk and high-risk patents by means of a scoring. This disease cannot be cured. In some cases, a wait-and-see approach or a supportive approach is advisable. In a mild form, the myelodysplastic syndrome can initially only be observed.
Only possible complications and sequelae are treated with medication. For example, antibiotics can be used for infections . In other cases, repeated chemotherapy, special drug therapies or the administration of immune modulators or immune suppressors make sense. Chemotherapy is possible, among other things, in high-risk patients and before a stem cell transplant. It is said to help reduce the number of degenerated blood cells.In mild to moderately severe forms of myelodysplastic syndrome, the benefit of chemotherapy must be weighed against the possible consequential damage. Immunomodulators or blood transfusions with erythrocyte or platelet concentrates can be helpful in certain stages of the disease. However, frequent blood transfusions also have side effects. For example, there is a greatly increased iron level.
Various drugs for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome are still in the research stage. The desired goal of such preparations is to induce partial or total remission of the myelodysplastic syndrome. In addition, the period of time until the development of leukemia should be extended. Stem cell transplantation is usually the last resort. Prerequisites for a successful stem cell transplantation in severe myelodysplastic syndrome are a suitable donor and risky immunological pre-treatment. The younger the patient, the better the chances of recovery from a stem cell transplant.
prevention
Myelodysplastic syndrome cannot be prevented.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.