Final answer:
Myelodysplastic syndrome usually presents with symptoms like fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding, and increased infection risk due to peripheral blood cytopenias, including anemia, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia. It is diagnosed through blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) typically presents with signs and symptoms related to ineffective hematopoiesis, leading to peripheral blood cytopenias. Patients often experience symptoms associated with anemia such as fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, and pallor. Additionally, they may have easy bruising or bleeding due to thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and an increased risk of infections due to neutropenia (low neutrophil count).
Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of clonal bone marrow disorders characterized by dysplasia in one or more of the hematopoietic cell lines and an increased risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Some cases of MDS are associated with a prior history of chemotherapy or radiation therapy, known as therapy-related MDS. The diagnosis of MDS requires a thorough clinical evaluation, including a complete blood count (CBC), a review of the peripheral blood smear, and a bone marrow biopsy.