“Good Morning America” co-host Robin Roberts announced today that she is facing her second major health battle in just five years.
Roberts, 51, told viewers of the ABC show that she has been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare blood disorder affecting the bone marrow and sometimes referred to as pre-leukemia.
“Myelodysplasia is a condition in which the bone marrow doesn’t function properly,” explained Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La.
Specifically, the bone marrow loses its ability to produce enough mature blood cells, such as white blood cells to fight infection and red blood cells to transport oxygen to different parts of the body.
“A percentage of people with MDS can and will develop leukemia,” Brooks said.But MDS also can be an “uncommon” albeit “significant, serious” complication of prior cancer chemotherapy, Brooks added.
And Roberts underwent chemotherapy to beat back early-stage breast cancer five years ago.
22/11/2012 : By Amanda Gardner / Health Magazine
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