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Health conditions such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and aplastic anemia are often compared to be similar or misinterpreted to be alike.
However, these medical conditions are totally different or distinct from one another.
Here are some facts to help you understand these two varying medical conditions.
What is Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)?
Myelodysplastic syndrome is a condition or disorder caused by poorly formed or dysfunctional blood cells. The abnormality of these blood cells that form inside the bone marrow will lead to lesser production of healthy blood cells.
MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) is also considered a type of cancer. Immature or abnormal blood cells do not progress into healthy or mature blood cells.
Blood stem cells in the bone marrow should mature into myeloid or lymphoid stem cells. Myeloid stem cells would become red blood cells and platelets, while lymphoid stem cells would turn into white blood cells. However, immature blood cells leave less room for healthy cells to form. Thus, due to reduced white blood cells, platelets, and red blood cells, bleeding, infection, and anemia can occur.
Symptoms
Symptoms of MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) may not appear at first. Yet, these are some of the possible symptoms you might experience:
- Fatigue
- Infections caused by leukopenia (low white blood cell count)
- Paleness
- Red spots caused by bleeding
- Shortness of breath
- Unusual bleeding or bruising caused by thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count)
Diagnosis and Treatment
Medical examinations to test the blood and bone marrow are utilized to diagnose MDS (myelodysplastic syndromes). Medical procedures such as a CBC (Complete Blood Count) to check for the amount of hemoglobin, plasma, red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells in your blood. Other methods include a physical exam and health history, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, cytogenetic analysis, peripheral blood smear, and blood chemistry studies.
The treatment of MDS (myelodysplastic syndromes), however, depends on its prognosis. Factors such as the number of blasts in the bone marrow, type of cells affected, alterations in the chromosome, and the risk of leukemia are considered.
Treatment for MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) may be in these standard procedures:
- Chemotherapy
This procedure is executed to terminate cancer cells. However, it may harm healthy cells as well.
- Drug therapy
o Immunosuppressive therapy
o Azacitidine and decitabine
o Lenalidomide
o Chemotherapy used in acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Stem cell transplant
This treatment is done after chemotherapy to replace abnormal and dysfunctional immature blood cells so that healthy blood cells will form and grow.
- Supportive care
o Transfusion therapy
o Antibiotic therapy
o Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents
What is Aplastic Anemia?
Aplastic anemia is a health condition wherein your body discontinues the production of new blood cells. The inability to produce newer and fresher blood cells could lead to infection, anemia, and uncontrolled bleeding. This condition happens at any age and even occurs instantly or slowly.
Symptoms
Each symptom may vary based on what type of blood cell is lacking.
Red blood cell:
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Irregular heartbeat
- Pale skin
- Shortness of breath
- Tiredness
White Blood Cell
- Infections
- Fever
Platelets
- Bleeding and bruising easily
- Nosebleeds
Diagnosis and Treatment
Even though aplastic anemia may be a terrifying condition, it is rare and treatable. The treatment of this health condition will depend heavily on its severity.
That is why early diagnosis is a must. Medical tests such as blood tests and bone marrow biopsies are needed to confirm if an individual suffers from aplastic anemia. Blood tests can confirm if the levels of your blood cells are low.
On the other hand, bone marrow biopsy is conducted by extracting a part of your bone marrow to examine if the number of healthy blood cells is indeed less than the usual
Treatments for aplastic anemia may differ based on its severity. One method to cure aplastic anemia is by taking prescribed drugs or hormones to aid the bone marrow produce more blood cells.
A physician might suggest certain antibiotics or antifungal drugs to combat infection in other cases. In severe aplastic anemia, bone marrow transplants are done to replace impaired stem cells with functional and healthy cells.
Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) vs Aplastic Anemia – Are They The Same?
MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) and aplastic anemia are rare but deadly diseases that affect bone marrow and blood. These conditions may share some similarities in terms of symptoms and treatment. Both of these conditions involve damaged bone marrows that cannot produce healthy blood cells. However, the way they impact the bone marrow is distinctive.
The distinctions between MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) and aplastic anemia are as follows.
- Aplastic anemia
The bone marrow itself manufactures abnormal, damaged, or dysfunctional stem cells. An insufficient amount of these cells would mature and grow into normal and healthy blood cells.
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
In contrast to aplastic anemia, MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) impacts the bone marrow by causing it to produce excessive amounts of stem cells. Thus, due to excess in the number of stem cells, they do not mature properly. Hence, this leads to an influx of abnormal cells entering the bloodstream.
MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) and aplastic anemia may share similar treatments, symptoms, and areas affected, but they are not the same medical condition. Aplastic anemia involves the bone marrow itself that manufactures abnormal or dysfunctional cells. MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) may trigger the bone marrow to manufacture excessive stem cells, ultimately leading to improper growth and abnormality of the cell.
Next time, if you encounter someone that tells you they are the same, you can precisely argue that they are slightly different. Also, do not forget to visit MDS clinical trials to help discover better treatment and understanding of these medical conditions.