A study to understand more about quality of life in people with myelodysplastic syndromes

This study was done to find out more about the quality of life for people with a group of bone marrow disorders called myelodysplastic syndromes.

The bone marrow is the body’s blood cell factory. In myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) the bone marrow does not produce enough blood cells. This can lead to problems such as a drop in the number of red blood cells (anaemia), bleeding or infections. Sometimes, MDS can develop into leukaemia. But the risk of this happening is different for each person.

It is possible that the symptoms of MDS, and treatments to try to improve these symptoms, may have a negative impact on how you feel. In this study, researchers wanted to find out more about how people with MDS feel both about their symptoms and the side effects of any treatment they have.

They asked people who took part to fill out some questionnaires. They hoped that understanding more about quality of life for people with MDS will help to improve ways of managing symptoms and treatment side effects in the future.