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Symptoms and Causes of Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a form of blood cancer. It occurs due to the abnormal growth of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell. This causes excess immunoglobulin to be released in the bones and blood. High immunoglobulin levels can increase one’s risk of autoimmune disorders, allergies, and chronic infections. The dysfunctional plasma cells also release chemicals that can cause bone damage. The affected spots in the bones are known as lytic lesions.

Multiple myeloma does not have a cure, but its symptoms can be managed through various treatment options.

Symptoms

Most cancers exhibit warning signs early on. So one should get themselves checked by a physician as soon as they notice some of the usual symptoms of multiple myeloma, which are commonly known by the acronym CRAB – calcium deposits, renal failure, anemia, and bone damage.

Calcium deposits

When multiple myeloma causes lytic lesions, calcium from the damaged parts of the bone are released into the blood, triggering extreme thirst, nausea, vomiting, and gastric symptoms, like loss of appetite, upset stomach, and constipation, generally noticed in most types of cancers. High calcium levels in the body also cause mental confusion and fatigue.

Renal failure

Higher protein levels, particularly immunoglobulins, can trigger renal damage or failure, leading to reduced urine formation in patients, the constant need to use the restroom, and other urinary issues. Unexplained shortness of breath, excess fatigue, persistent nausea, and confusion may also appear as other symptoms. Prolonged damage to the kidneys often results in edema, causing swelling in the legs, ankle, and feet.

Anemia

Anemia is a significant multiple myeloma symptom. Most types of cancer cause anemia, as the proteins that their cells produce interfere with immune functioning and RBC production. Since multiple myeloma is a kind of blood cancer, it is natural for RBC counts to take a hit when the cancerous cells multiply. This can cause dizziness, fatigue, and irritability. Further, most cancer treatments, like immunotherapy and chemotherapy, hinder the production and repair of red blood cells, worsening anemia.

Bone damage

The invasion of cancerous cells from the blood into the bone causes injuries and fractures to it. A dull lingering pain in the bones, made worse by movement, can indicate such injuries or lesions, which is a common multiple myeloma symptom. Its severity depends on cancer progression and is subject to an individual’s pain tolerance levels. Common pain locations include the skull, back, pelvis, hips, and ribs.

Other symptoms

While nausea, vomiting, and confusion are associative symptoms of CRAB, some signs do not fall under this acronym. Weakness and numbness, especially in the legs, vision problems leading to vision loss in rare cases, imbalanced BMI, and the repeated contraction of infections are other common multiple myeloma symptoms arising from cancerous cells competing for resources and their proteins interfering with immune functioning.

Multiple myeloma causes

Cancer is a complex disease, and it develops as a consequence of dysfunctions in multiple systems, including immune function and DNA repairs. These dysfunctions are triggered by internal factors, like inherited mutations and hormones, and external or acquired factors, like radiation and infectious organisms. The exact cause of multiple myeloma is not known. However, there are some risk factors to be aware of.

Age and gender

Even though cancer cells have no consideration for age or gender, adults over 65 years of age and males are the most vulnerable. So men have a one in two chance of developing cancer, and women have a one in three chance. This difference is still not clear, but it is predicted to be an intrinsic difference in male and female systems. Also, less than 2% of cases are diagnosed in individuals below 40 years.

Race

Multiple myeloma is twice as likely to occur in African Americans than in Caucasians. It is also more common in individuals of Middle Eastern, North African, and Mediterranean descent. The exact reasons for this are not known. But a possible reason for the increased risk in some races could be the higher chance of suffering from monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS).

Genetics
Like most cancers, multiple myeloma has a genetic component. Patients with no family history make up a tiny percentage of cases. But if an individual’s family member has suffered from myeloma, they are most likely to contract the disease.

Illness
While blood disorders like MGUS and solitary plasmacytoma don’t always cause multiple myeloma, such conditions increase the risk of contracting this disease. Almost all those with multiple myeloma suffer from MGUS before developing this type of blood cancer. Further, an imbalanced BMI also poses a risk to this kind of cancer.

Other factors
In rare instances, a person may have a higher risk of multiple myeloma if they come in contact with hazardous chemicals like benzene. Additionally, studies suggest that radiation exposure can increase one’s risk of multiple myeloma. However, the results of some studies have not been clear, as they were unable to link exposure radiation with multiple myeloma.

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