About MDS

MDS stands for myelodysplastic syndromes:

• "myelo" is a word that means "bone marrow"
• "dysplastic" means abnormal growth of a part of the body
• "syndrome" means a group of signs and symptoms of a disease

MDS is a group of unusual diseases that affect the bone marrow and the blood. Bone marrow is the tissue found in the center of the large bones of the body. This tissue helps produce your body’s blood, which is made up of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.

In a person with MDS, something causes a defect in the genes that govern how bone marrow makes blood. The bone marrow starts to make defective blood cells. These defective cells then take over the healthy cells in the blood. A person with MDS faces several risks as their blood weakens:

• red blood cells no longer carry oxygen around the body well
• white blood cells cannot fight infection well
• platelets cannot help blood clot

Because of this, patients with MDS are at risk for a number of diseases. However, MDS is treatable in many patients.

Why Do People Get MDS?

We don't know what causes MDS in about 70 to 80 people of 100 who have it. In the other 20 to 30 people in 100, MDS may be caused by treatment for another disease.¹ For example, a person who is treated for cancer may be more likely to get MDS than someone who is not.

So what do we know about MDS?

• It isn't very common: the American Cancer Society says between 10,000 and 15,000 people are diagnosed with MDS each year²
• You can't "catch" MDS; it's not contagious
• It's rarely passed down through families, unlike diabetes or heart disease
• It's a little more common in smokers (though it's not known if smoking increases the risk)
• It's more common in people who have been exposed to chemicals such as benzene

Click on the links below to learn more about MDS symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options.

• Subtypes of MDS >
• Symptoms of MDS >
• Diagnosing MDS >
• Questions to Ask Your Doctor >