Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in Zimbabweans--preliminary observations

Twenty three Zimbabwean African patients who satisfied the French-American-British(FAB) diagnostic criteria for the myelodysplastic syndromes(MDS) at Godfrey Huggins School of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe, between July 1985 and June 1987 are presented. The disorders appear not to behave differently from those reported in Caucasian populations with regard to clinical and haematological features. Refractory anaemia (RA) occurred in 12 (52.2%) patients; refractory anaemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS) in 4 (17.4%) patients; refractory anaemia with excess blasts (RAEB) in 2 (8.7%) patients; refractory anaemia with excess blasts in transformation (RAEB-T) in 3 (13.0%) patients; while chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) was observed in 2 (8.7%) patients. In 19 cases, the disease was primary and in 4 prior exposure to myelotoxic agents resulted in secondary MDS. The clinical significance of recognising the disorders is briefly high-lighted together with our current treatment protocol.