Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) ASCP Practice Exam

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Myelodysplastic syndromes can best be described as:

  1. A quantitative disorder of blood cells

  2. A qualitative disorder of various blood cell series

  3. A communicable blood disorder

  4. A genetic mutation in hematopoietic cells

The correct answer is: A qualitative disorder of various blood cell series

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are best characterized as a qualitative disorder of various blood cell series. This classification is because MDS involves a group of conditions where the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells. The resulting blood cells are often dysfunctional, leading to abnormalities in cell quality rather than quantity. In MDS, the hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow undergo ineffective hematopoiesis, which means that while there might be enough cells in terms of quantity, their function is impaired. Patients may present with cytopenias (reduced cell counts), but this is due to the poor quality of the progenitor cells rather than simply a decreased production of blood cells. MDS is distinct from a quantitative disorder, where there would be a straightforward increase or decrease in blood cell counts without qualitative changes in the cells themselves. It is also inaccurately characterized as a communicable blood disorder, as MDS is not transmissible from person to person, nor is it a genetic mutation per se, although it can arise due to genetic abnormalities. Thus, the focus on the qualitative dysfunction of blood cells accurately captures the essence of myelodysplastic syndromes.