To explore the relationship between the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and autoimmune disorders (AID).
The clinical data of 117 MDS patients were reviewed.
Nineteen (16.2%) of 117 MDS patients had AIDs. The commonest AID associated with MDS was rheumatoid arthritis (31.6%) and ulcerative colitis (26.3%). Compared with that in MDS patients without autoimmune disorders, the leukemic transformation rate was not increased in the MDS/AID but the median survival time was shorter in MDS/AID patients.
MDS patients associated with autoimmune disorders may be an unfavorable factor for their prognosis.