Myelodysplastic syndromes: aspects of current medical care and economic considerations in Germany.
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of diseases mainly affecting older people. The use of an increasing number of therapeutic options depends on a systematic risk stratification of the patients. A high percentage of MDS patients need blood transfusions as supportive care, which influence quality of life and cause a great part of the costs generated by MDS therapy. In this article which is based on a workshop about the burden of MDS held in October 2006 in Munich, MDS is discussed with regard to different aspects: current therapies, transfusion medicine, geriatrics, quality of life, and health economic aspects.
Gattermann
Norbert
N
Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Germany.
Hofmann
Wolf-Karsten
WK
Meessen
Axel
A
Schmitz
Stephan
S
Tsamaloukas
Anton
A
Vollmer
Tanja
T
Wedding
Ulrich
U
Plesnila-Frank
Carlotta
C
Schramm
Wolfgang
W
Berger
Karin
K
D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*