Wockhardt Hospitals Nagpur a leader in health care sector is creating awareness and taking a step to educate people about Multiple Myeloma.Dr.Gunjan Loney ,Consultant Hematologist and Hemato Oncologist, Wockhardt Hospitals Nagpur said that,Multiple Myeloma is a condition affecting plasma cells,a type of blood cell found in bone marrow.Typically, these cells are scarce and produce anti- bodies, crucial for immune defence.However, in multiple myeloma, these cells become aberrant, proliferating excessively, and generating abnormal paraproteins.
While this disease primarily manifests beyond the age of 50, isolated instances in younger patients are also observed in our country.Increased proliferation of the cells causes low haemoglobin detected in routine health check, especially beyond the 5th decade of life, body pain, mostly in the lower back, weak bone with risk of fractures (lytic lesions), high calcium causing fatigue, dehydration, constipation, nausea, aches & pain.
Dr.Gunjan Loney further added,abnormal protein causes kidney damage causing an increase in creatinine, risk of infections- recurrent fever,respiratory tract infection, pneumonia,urine infection,etc. Simple blood tests like CBC,Creatinine,Calcium,Serum protein electrophoresesis (SPEP) and imaging of the bone can screen for this disease.
Confirmation is done using some specialized tests including a bone marrow examination. Multiple myeloma is treated with targeted therapy, and very little chemotherapy or radiation is used for its treatment.Treatment involves mostly oral medicines and subcutaneous injections. The therapy is mostly administered on a day care basis and patients don’t need hospital admission.