subject: It Is Important To Be Informed Of Your Bodies Health [print this page] If you're told you have multiple myeloma, you could be somewhat confused as to what it actually is or what type of treatment you will have to undergo. Multiple myeloma can be named plasma cell myeloma or more commonly known as Kahler's disease. This disease is actually a cancer of the plasma cells of the body.
Plasma cells are forms of white blood cells that are critical to producing antibodies. The physiology of this disorder is when large amounts of irregular cells collect within the bones . At this point they produce damage in the bone marrow. This major damage translates into the interference of ordinary blood cell production.
There are quite a few different indications of multiple myeloma that an individual may experience when they are stricken by this disease. Among those symptoms include pain in the bones. The most frequent areas of this bone pain occurs in the backbone and the ribs and may in fact worsen with exercise. Infection is also a sign of this disease. The most prevalent kinds of infections include pneumonias and pyelonephritis.
Renal failure may also develop for people with this cancer. The renal failure can be serious or chronic. In most cases a result of the hypercalcemia or lack or certain proteins. Another frequent symptom is anemia. Do not immediately freak out if you learn you have anemia, because anemia can be because of many other conditions in the body. Even so, anemia is another symptom that is attributed to this disease.
Some people will also suffer neurological problems like weakness, confusion, fatigue; all of which are the effects of hyperglycemia, headaches, visual changes, radicular pain, loss of bowel and bladder control, carpal tunnel syndrome and also other neurological illnesses.
There are often a number of tests performed in order to identify a person with multiple myeloma. One of the first and basic assessments are blood samples. Following that a skeletal study will be done. The skeletal survey involves an x-ray series of the skull, axial skeleton, and proximal long bones. If lesions fail to appear on the x-ray series than an MRI or CT scan may be directed for further prognosis of lesions in the bones.
In addition to these tests a bone marrow biopsy is also carried out to get an idea of the ratio of bone marrow populated by plasma cells. The percentage of the bone populated by plasma cells is used in the diagnostic tests for myeloma.
The treatment for multiple myeloma is concentrated on the containment of the disease as well as suppression. A fix may actually be deferred if the cancer is totally asymptomatic to the individual. According to the individual's age, chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation are probably the most used treatment for this type of condition.