Myelodysplastic Syndrome – Risk Factors & Prevention

Myelodysplastic Syndrome Risk Factors

We do not know the exact cause of MDS. However, some factors have been found to increase its risk. The following are the common myelodysplastic syndrome risk factors:

1. Age

Age is a myelodysplastic syndrome risk factor. Elderly patients are at higher risk for developing MDS. The disease is less common in people below the age of 50 years. Most patients with myelodysplastic syndrome diagnosis are over the age of 60 years.

2. Sex

Gender is also a myelodysplastic syndrome risk factor. Males are relatively at greater risk for developing MDS compared with females. Although the exact reason for this is not known, it has been proposed that the higher risk in men may be due to increased exposure to environmental or occupational pollutants or due to higher smoking habits.

3. Cancer Treatment

Patients with a history of undergoing radiation therapy and chemotherapy are at increased risk for myelodysplastic syndrome. The risk further increases when chemoradiation therapy is administered in the patients. The myelodysplastic syndrome caused by the treatment of cancer is known as treatment-associated MDS.

The risk also depends on the type of drugs used, the dose and frequency of the chemotherapy drugs, and radiation therapy. Patients undergoing stem cell transplantation are also at increased risk for developing MDS because of the involvement of intensive chemotherapy during the procedure.

4. Genetic Syndromes

Certain genetic syndromes increase the risk of myelodysplastic syndrome. These syndromes include Fanconi anemia, Diamond Blackfan anemia, severe congenital neutropenia, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, familial platelet disorder with a propensity to myeloid malignancy, and congenital dyskeratosis.

Certain blood conditions, such as clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate significance, idiopathic cytopenia of unknown significance, and clonal cytopenia of unknown significance, also increase the risk of MDS.

5. Smoking

Studies reported an increased risk of myelodysplastic syndrome in people who smoke compared to people who do not smoke or stopped smoking. It may be because of the cancerous substances present in the tobacco. Once these substances are absorbed in the blood, they may travel to the bone marrow and cause abnormalities in the bone marrow cells.

6. Familial MDS

There is also an association between the MDS risk and familial MDS, as the disease runs in certain families because of the inheritance of mutated genes.

7. Environmental Exposure

Environmental and occupational exposure to certain chemicals, including benzene, exhaust gases, ammonia, solvents, pesticides, and metals, are myelodysplastic syndrome risk factors.

Exposure to high-energy radiations, such as those from a nuclear reactor accident, also increases the MDS risk.