A Ten Year Review of the Biochemical Profile of Patients Diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Multiple Myeloma is the commonest haematological malignancy in people of African descent. Diagnosis depends on the presence of plasma cells which produce monoclonal proteins or abnormal free light chains. Aims & Methods: The aim was to assess certain biochemical parameters in patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma. This was a ten year retrospective hospital based study. Results: There was a total of 29 patients with a male to female ratio of 1.9:1. Median age at diagnosis was 60 years. There were 75.9% with anaemia and 51.7% had renal impairment (chronic kidney stages 2 – 4). Only 6.7% had hypercalcaemia, while hypocalcaemia was more common (20%). Four cases did not show a monoclonal protein on serum protein electrophoresis while 3 (11.1%) had a biclonalgammopathy. All cases with monoclonal proteins had an M-spike located in the gamma region. Of those that had free light chains assay done, 76.9% had kappa chain involvement while in 23.1% cases the lambda chains were involved. Conclusion: Our study revealed a lower median age of 60 years. There were uncharacteristically more cases with hypocalcaemia than expected hypercalcaemia. More than half had anaemia with renal impairment.