title: Features of Japanese patients with myelodysplastic syndrome in an aging population of Sado Island.
abstract: Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is relatively common in the elderly, and aging of populations is progressing in developed nations, notably so in Japan. The major age group in Japan and Sado Island are distributed between 30 and 60 and between 50 and 80, respectively. The aim of this study was to analyze the features of MDS in the population of Sado Island to anticipate the characteristics of the disease in the near future. One-hundred and fifty-three patients (71 male, 82 female, 19-94 years old, median 73 years old) with de novo MDS between 1985 and 2005 were retrospectively evaluated. All patients were reclassified according to WHO-2001 criteria. The predictive power of the international prognostic scoring system and the WHO classification-based prognostic scoring system were evaluated. The major causes of death were leukemic transformation (38%) in refractory anemia with an excess of blasts and infection (48%) for total MDS. Age was another independent prognostic factor. Elderly patients exhibited a significantly poorer prognosis mainly due to infections such as pneumonia. Although novel remedies for MDS and hyperferremia have recently been developed, prevention of infection remains important in MDS, particularly for older patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Sado Sogo Hospital, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yagisawa
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okazuka
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toba
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urushiyama
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuroha
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Izumi
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sibasaki
authors.forename: Masutaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higashimura
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Momoi
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Momotsu
authors.forename: Yoshifusa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aizawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D020732:Cytogenetic Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D011289:Preleukemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies