[A clinical analysis of 798 cases of M protein positive patients]

To improve the understanding of the diseases with positive M protein by analyzing 798 cases, so as to reduce the failure and error of diagnosis.

The relations of diseases with the types of the disease and age and sex of the patients were analyzed. The presenting symptoms of multiple myeloma(MM) and non-MM were compared. The difference of Ig content among each type of MM and the characteristics of M protein in non-MM were also studied.

In 798 cases with positive M protein, there were 648 cases of MM (81.2%) and 34 cases of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) (4.3%). The remaining 116 cases (14.5%) were benign or secondary monoclonal gammopathies. The average age of the patients was 58.3 years, and there was no difference of disease incidence between men and women. There was a marked difference between MM and non-MM in the presenting symptoms which were mainly lumbago and bone pain in MM but fever, weight loss and fatigue in non-MM. 648 cases of MM included 290 cases of IgG type (44.8%), 143 of IgA type (22.1%), 138 of light chain type (21.3%), 45 of IgD type (6.9%), 30 of non-secretion type (4.6%) and 2 of double-clonal type (0.3%). There was no marked distinction between kappa and lambda chain except in IgD type. The average M protein content of 116 cases of benign or secondary monoclonal gammopathies was (11.3 +/- 6.5) g/L. 55 of the 116 cases were monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which accounted for 6.9% of all the cases. 35 cases were non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) (4.4%).

M protein was mainly discovered in MM; it may also be discovered in MGUS, NHL, WM and other diseases. It is essential to have a better understanding of these diseases.