MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROMES (MDS) IN CENTRAL AFRICANS

Forty two patients who were seen and satisfied the French-American-Bri tish (FAB) diagnostic criteria for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) ove r a 6-year period at the University of Zimbabwe's Department of Haemat ology, Harare, are presented. Their overall ages ranged from 29 to 15 years with a mean +/-SD of 57.8+/-11.2 years, Males outnumbered female s with a male to female ratio of 1.2:1. Refractory anaemia (RA) occurr ed in 33.3%; refractory anaemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS) in 16. 7%; refractory anaemia with excess blasts (RAEB) In 21.4%; refractory anaemia with excess blasts in transformation (RAEB-T) in 16.7% and chr onic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) in 11.9% of the patients. In 90.5 % the disease was primary and in 9.5% pier exposure to myelotoxic agen ts resulted in secondary MDS. The study reveals that MDS as a cause of anaemia in the African population is usually hidden in the big number of well known anaemias due to rampant malaria, malnutrition and a hos t of nutritional deficiencies. There is therefore the need to increase diagnostic awareness among our clinicians about the existence of thes e disorders,