Symptoms of Multiple Myeloma

General information about symptoms of Multiple Myeloma: The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible symptoms of Multiple Myeloma. This symptom information has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of symptoms of Multiple Myeloma. Furthermore, symptoms of Multiple Myeloma may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of symptoms and whether they are indeed symptoms of Multiple Myeloma.

List of symptoms of Multiple Myeloma: The list of symptoms mentioned in various sources for Multiple Myeloma includes:

No early symptoms - often no noticable symptoms in early stages
Bone symptoms - the growth of plasma cells in bone marrow causes bone tumors and various symptoms:
- Bone tumors
- Pelvic tumor
- Rib tumor
- Spinal tumor
- Skull tumor
- Weak bones
- Bone thinning
- Fractures
- Bone pain
- Back pain
- Rib pain
- Plasmacytoma - a solid tumor of plasma cells usually in the bone
Hypercalcemia - from bones losing calcium into the blood; see symptoms of hypercalcemia:
Anemia - which also causes various symptoms of anemia:
Kidney problems
- Problems with urination
Immune deficiency
Repeated infections
Constipation
Leg weakness
Leg numbness

Symptoms of Multiple Myeloma: 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, calciumis 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.¹

More symptoms of Multiple Myeloma: In addition to the above information, to get a full picture of the possible symptoms of this condition and its related conditions, it may be necessary to examine symptoms that may be caused by complications of Multiple Myeloma, underlying causes of Multiple Myeloma, associated conditions for Multiple Myeloma, risk factors for Multiple Myeloma, or other related conditions.

Medical articles on symptoms: These general reference articles may be of interest:

Footnotes:
1. excerpt from What You Need To Know About Multiple Myeloma: NCI

Last revision: June 2, 2003

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