The National Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Study

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are the most common cause of adult bone marrow failure in the US and occur predominantly in people over the age of 60. Much of the morbidity and mortality for MDS is due to complications from low blood counts (e.g., infections and bleeding). MDS is caused by acquired DNA mutations that occur in a patient's blood cells as they grow older. Accumulating evidence suggests that MDS patients may traverse through a series of antecedent hematopoietic conditions defined by, i) clonal hematopoiesis (i.e., detectable somatic mutations in a person's blood cells) without low blood counts, a condition that affects up to 10% of individuals 70 years old and is termed Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential (CHIP), or ii) clonal hematopoiesis with low blood counts... (for more see dbGaP study page.)