As you age, feeling tired or short of breath may be dismissed as a part of getting older, but it’s important to talk to a healthcare provider if you are experiencing these symptoms. The risk of certain conditions, myelodysplastic syndromes (my-el-odys-plastic sin-dromes or MDS), increases with age and can also present as fatigue or other signs that may be mistaken for natural aging.
What is MDS?
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is a group of closely related blood disorders in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.1 This can happen over time as you age, but also in response to certain mutation-causing exposures like chemicals or radiation.2 MDS worsens over time and can result in symptoms like anemia, caused by low red blood cell counts, vulnerability to infection due to low white blood cell counts, or risk of heavy bleeding or bruising due to low platelet counts.