What are the symptoms of multiple myeloma?

The bone marrow is the hematopoietic cell in our body. If multiple myeloma occurs, it will cause great harm to the human body, and the misdiagnosis rate of this disease is very high, so everyone must be aware of the symptoms of this disease.

1. Bone pain:

Myeloma cells proliferate malignantly in the bone marrow cavity, infiltrate bones and periosteum, affect the blood supply to the bone cortex, and osteoblasts derived from stromal cells overexpress IL6, activating osteoclasts, leading to osteoporosis and even osteolytic destruction. Therefore, bone pain is one of the first and most common symptoms. The most common site of pain is the lumbar sacral region (70%), followed by thoracic tumors involving the sternum or ribs (20%), and the pain worsens as the disease progresses.

(ii) Bone masses and pathological fractures:

Myeloma cells infiltrate from the bone marrow to the bone and periosteum, causing local mass-like protrusions that can range in size from soybeans to ping-pong balls, are as hard as rubber, and have no or only mild tenderness. It is often found in the sternum, ribs, skull, clavicle, shoulder bone, nasal bone and mandible.

Osteoporosis can cause pathological fractures. Sudden onset of severe pain often indicates pathological fractures, which often occur after activity or sprain, and are more common in compression fractures of the lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae or spontaneous fractures of the ribs.

(III) Anemia and bleeding:

Myeloma cells proliferate in the bone marrow, and normal hematopoietic function is inhibited, leading to pancytopenia. Due to multiple factors such as renal insufficiency, decreased erythropoietin, secondary infection, and increased plasma volume caused by hyperviscosity induced by M-protein, almost all patients have anemia to varying degrees. Decreased platelet production, interference of M-protein with platelet and coagulation system functions, and amyloidosis of vascular walls may all be important causes of bleeding. Patients often present with mucosal and subcutaneous bleeding, and in the late stage may have visceral and intracranial hemorrhage.