Multiple Myeloma

Because the main target of multiple myeloma is the B lymphocytes in the human body, if the patient suffers from this disease, it will cause major problems with the patient's body's immunity. This is because B lymphocytes are very helpful in resisting bacteria. If there is a problem, the human immune system will have problems. If you want to know more, you can browse it often.

Patients with multiple myeloma may experience some complications, such as pneumonia or some respiratory infections, which will seriously affect the patient's normal life.

1. Infection

Multiple myeloma is prone to repeated infections because of the decrease in normal immunoglobulins and the increase in abnormal immunoglobulins without immune activity; leukopenia, anemia, radiotherapy and chemotherapy affect normal immune function. Patients may seek medical attention with fever as the first symptom. It is easy to get respiratory tract infections such as upper respiratory tract infection and pneumonia or urinary tract infection, and female patients are more prone to urinary tract infection. In the late stage of the disease, infection is one of the main causes of death.

Therefore, for middle-aged and elderly patients with recurrent infections, treatment should not be limited to anti-infection treatment. At the same time, we should actively look for the primary disease. If the patient has bone pain, anemia, bleeding, etc., the possibility of this disease should be considered.

2. Myeloma bone disease

Bone pain and osteolytic bone destruction are the prominent clinical manifestations of this disease. The most common areas of bone pain are the lower back, followed by the sternum, ribs and lower limb bones.

Because patients with this disease often have severe osteoporosis, pathological fractures can occur with a little effort or inadvertently. The resulting mechanical compression can cause neurological symptoms and, in severe cases, paraplegia. If paraplegia lasts too long, it will be difficult for the patient to recover and walk even with effective treatment, which will greatly affect the patient's quality of life.

Bone tumors may also occur, with tumor cells infiltrating from the bone marrow to the bone, periosteum, and adjacent tissues to form a mass.

Solitary plasmacytomas confined to one site are less common and may eventually evolve into multiple myeloma.

X-ray examination is of great significance in the diagnosis of this disease. Positive lesions are mainly found in the skull, pelvis, ribs, and spine, and can also be seen in the bones of the limbs. The typical manifestations are the following three: ① Punch-like osteolytic lesions, which are multiple round-like translucent areas and are special X-ray manifestations of this disease. The skull and pelvis are easiest to find. ② Diffuse osteoporosis. ③ Pathological fractures are most common in the lower thoracic spine and upper lumbar spine, and are also seen in the ribs. Magnetic resonance imaging can be performed in suspected cases to determine the location of the osteolytic lesions.

Patients may not pay attention to bone pain or back and leg pain, or go to the orthopedics department and be misdiagnosed with sprains, fractures, bone tuberculosis or bone tumors, thus delaying their treatment.

Therefore, this disease should be considered during diagnosis for middle-aged and elderly patients with severe osteoporosis or fractures. Pay attention to blood immunoglobulin and serum protein electrophoresis to make an early diagnosis.

The comprehensive diagnostic value of common imaging examinations for MM patients is as follows: PET-CT>MRI (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging)>CT>X-ray examination.

3. Myeloma Kidney Disease

Kidney lesions are common and important lesions in this disease. The most common clinical manifestation is proteinuria, followed by hematuria. In the late stage, it may develop into chronic renal failure or uremia, which is one of the main causes of death from this disease.

Foreign studies have found that MM nephropathy patients have mild glomerular lesions and severe tubular-interstitial lesions, so patients rarely develop hypertension clinically.

Myeloma nephropathy is caused by multiple factors. The main causes are the damage of light chain proteinuria to the renal tubules and the amyloid change caused by the deposition of light chains in the glomeruli. In addition, myeloma cell infiltration, hypercalcemia, hyperuricemia, etc. are also involved in the onset of the disease.

Immunophenotyping is closely related to renal damage, with light chain renal damage having the highest rate.

Patients may visit the nephrology department or traditional Chinese medicine department due to hematuria or proteinuria and be misdiagnosed as nephritis, etc., and fail to receive effective treatment for a long time, causing the disease to progress to the late stage or develop into uremia.

Therefore, for middle-aged and elderly patients with long-term proteinuria and hematuria who cannot be clearly diagnosed, renal biopsy, bone marrow puncture, or electrophoresis of bone marrow, blood immunoglobulins and serum proteins and other myeloma-related examinations should be performed in a timely manner.

We should not be too afraid of multiple myeloma. Patients must have a good attitude towards treatment, which can help the treatment and promote the treatment effect. Knowing more about diseases in life is actually protecting your own health. Also, the dietary requirements should be as scientific as possible.