Blood disorder MDS linked to accelerated bone aging

People with a severe blood disorder may also have an increased risk of bone loss. This is suggested by a study from Dresden University Hospital. The researchers examined people with a specific malignant blood disorder and found that their bone density was lower than that of people of the same age without this condition. This could have implications for medical care.

The condition in question is known as myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS for short. In this condition, blood formation in the bone marrow no longer functions properly. The bone marrow is a soft tissue inside the bones where new blood cells are produced. In MDS, too few functional blood cells are often produced. Many people affected therefore suffer from anemia, and some require regular blood transfusions. 

In Germany, several thousand people are newly diagnosed with MDS each year. It particularly affects older adults. Until now, treatment has focused primarily on the impaired blood formation. The condition of the patients’ bones, however, has received less attention.

Bones age in fast motion

This is precisely what researchers from Dresden wanted to investigate more closely. For the BoHemE study, which began in 2016, they followed 111 people with MDS over a period of three years. For comparison, they examined 84 people of the same age who did not have the disease. In addition to Dresden University Hospital, Leipzig University Hospital and other research partners were involved.

An important measure was bone density. It provides an indication of how strong the bones are. The lower the bone density, the greater the risk of bone fractures.

Even at the start of the study, people with MDS had lower bone density than the control group. Over the following three years, it continued to decline. “In MDS, the bone aging process seems to proceed in fast-forward, so to speak,” says Prof. Lorenz Hofbauer, director of the University Center for Healthy Aging at Dresden University Hospital.

Something else stood out. Those who already had osteoporosis at the start of the study had a poorer overall survival prognosis. With osteoporosis, bones lose density and are more prone to fractures. However, the study does not allow us to determine whether the disease itself contributes to a lower life expectancy or whether other health factors are at play.

What connects blood and bone

The researchers also found evidence of possible biological links. For example, a specific mutation in the DNMT3A gene in blood-forming cells was associated with lower bone density. Low calcium levels were also more common in people with low bone density or osteoporosis. Calcium is an important component of bones.

Why these changes occur together is not yet clear. However, the results suggest that blood formation, bone metabolism, and aging processes may be more closely linked than previously thought. “The findings are relevant to our understanding of aging processes,” says Hofbauer. This is because MDS occurs primarily during a phase of life in which muscle strength, bone mass, and physical reserves also decline.

For the researchers, this has practical implications. In the future, greater attention should be paid to bone health in people with the blood disorder MDS. “The message of the BoHemE study is therefore clear: Anyone who wants to treat MDS comprehensively should also keep an eye on bone health,” says Hofbauer. This would allow potential osteoporosis to be detected and treated early. However, the study did not investigate whether such treatment also improves life expectancy in people with MDS.

Original publication:
Weidner, H., Tsourdi, E., Platzbecker, A.S. et al. Bone health in myelodysplastic neoplasms: results from the prospective longitudinal BoHemE study. Leukemia (2026).