Clinical manifestations of the multiple myeloma

The frequency of secondary diseases in patients with multiple myeloma was examined by means of 164 post-mortem examinations and compared to those of patients without myeloma. In over 96% of the patients with multiple myeloma, the kidney was involved, and other organs also showed plasmacytoma-related changes more often than in the other group: heart insufficiency (p < 0.01), pleural effusion (p < 0.01), respiratory insufficiency of of different origin (p < 0.01), liver siderosis (p < 0.01) as well as pancreatitis, uro-cystitis and bleeding or ulceration elf the gastrointestinal port. The following changes have been found less often in patients with multiple myeloma: sclerosis of the coronary arteries (p < 0.01), myocardial infarction (p < 0.01), thrombosis or embolism (p < 0.01), fibrosis or cirrhosis of the liver (p < 0.001). Only 50% of the organic changes have been well-known. In patients with multiple myeloma clinical diagnosis should also include other organs than the classical ones.