Medications
Doctors use several medicines to relieve the symptoms, such as growth factors that stimulate the production of blood cells in the bone marrow.
Growth factors: These medicines enhance the level of various blood cells in the body. With the help of these medicines, there is less need for blood transfusion. Some drugs increase the number of WBCs that provide immunity to the body.
Medicines that increase the maturation of blood cells: These medicines increase the maturation rate of blood cells by the stem cells and improve quality of life.
Antibiotics: In MDS, the patients have a compromised immune system and may expose to frequent infections due to a lack of white blood cells in the body. Antibiotics are medicines that help to treat infections.
Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy aims to kill the immature blood cells and to hinder their growth. These drugs may be given orally or intravenously.
Lenalidomide: This drug treats a rare type of myelodysplastic Syndrome. In this disease, the person has severe anemia and the need for blood transfusion regularly. This drug lessens the necessity for a blood transfusion by affecting the working of the immune system.
Azacitidine: these drugs destroy the rapidly dividing cells. Azacitidine is also known as a hypomethylating agent. It slows down the development of MDS and given to severe patients of MDS. They also help to normalize the function of genes that are involved in cell growth.
Immunosuppressive drugs:
These drugs weaken the immune system and prevent the immune system from attacking the bone marrow. These drugs help to bring the blood cells to normal levels and lessen the need for blood transfusion.
Iron chelation therapy:
Iron gets accumulated in the body and cause tissue and organ damage. This therapy helps to excrete excess iron in the body.