12 Most Common Symptoms of Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Myelodysplastic Syndrome is a rarer type of cancer which affects the way in which blood marrow cells develop, and it leads to incomplete bone marrow cell formation and a range of different symptoms which can include a generally lowered immune system and a higher likelihood of getting sick, a constant feeling of fatigue and other blood-related symptoms such as a more increased frequency of bleeding and anemia.

You are considered more at risk for developing the condition if you’re a smoker, or if you have ever received chemotherapy at a previous point in your life; sometimes genetic factors can also play an important role in determining your risk, and any genetic history of cancer should be reported to your doctor.

With early recognition and treatment, the condition can be successfully managed with a high quality of life.

Here are the 8 most common symptoms of myelodysplastic syndrome you should learn to recognize.

1. Fatigue

Everyone should get approximately eight hours of sleep per night, but this can vary from person to person, and might be different for you. But everyone has an optimal amount of sleep for their body, and everyone knows more or less how much this should be. Because of this, you’ll notice when something is suddenly somehow “off.”

Fatigue is a very common symptom experienced with myelodysplastic syndrome, but it’s not a symptom that’s unique to this disorder, and it might also lead to the diagnosis of another related condition (such as other cancers, HIV or other immunity-compromising health conditions) that isn’t myelodysplastic syndrome.

If you experience any kind of fatigue that is unnatural for what you would expect your normal patterns to be, make an appointment with your doctor to find the root cause of it whether or not you have been experiencing any other related symptoms on this list.