The list of medical symptoms mentioned in various sources for Multiple Myeloma may include:
List of 45 Multiple Myeloma Symptoms
Note that Multiple Myeloma symptoms usually refers to various medical symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Multiple Myeloma signs may often refer to those signs that are only noticable by a doctor.
Because people with multiple myeloma have an abnormally large number of identical plasma cells, they also have too much of one type of antibody. These myeloma cells and antibodies can cause a number of serious medical problems:
As myeloma cells increase in number, they damage and weaken bones, causing pain and sometimes fractures. Bone pain can make it difficult for patients to move.
When bones are damaged, calcium is released into the blood. This may lead to hypercalcemia -- too much calcium in the blood. Hypercalcemia can cause loss of appetite, nausea, thirst, fatigue, muscle weakness, restlessness, and confusion.
Myeloma cells prevent the bone marrow from forming normal plasma cells and other white blood cells that are important to the immune system. Patients may not be able to fight infection and disease.
The cancer cells also may prevent the growth of new red blood cells, causing anemia . Patients with anemia may feel unusually tired or weak.
Multiple myeloma patients may have serious problems with their kidneys . Excess antibody proteins and calcium can prevent the kidneys from filtering and cleaning the blood properly.
Symptoms of multiple myeloma depend on how advanced the disease is. In the earliest stage of the disease, there may be no symptoms. When symptoms do occur, patients commonly have bone pain, often in the back or ribs. Patients also may have broken bones, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, or repeated infections. When the disease is advanced, symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, constipation, problems with urination, and weakness or numbness in the legs. These are not sure signs of multiple myeloma; they can be symptoms of other types of medical problems. A person should see a doctor if these symptoms occur. Only a doctor can determine what is causing a patient's symptoms. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Multiple Myeloma: NCI)
More detailed symptom information may be found on the symptoms of Multiple Myeloma article. In addition to the above medical information, to get a full picture of the possible signs or symptoms of this condition and also possibly the signs and symptoms of its related medical conditions, it may be necessary to examine symptoms that may be caused by:
These general reference articles may be related to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
The phrase "signs of Multiple Myeloma" should, strictly speaking, refer only to those signs and symptoms of Multiple Myeloma that are not readily apparent to the patient. The word "symptoms of Multiple Myeloma" is the more general meaning; see symptoms of Multiple Myeloma.
The signs and symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Multiple Myeloma. This medical information about signs and symptoms for Multiple Myeloma has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Multiple Myeloma signs or Multiple Myeloma symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Multiple Myeloma may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Multiple Myeloma symptoms.
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