Multiple myeloma following an episode of community-acquired pneumococcal bacteraemia or meningitis

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Published on: January 7, 2019

H Gregersen1, G Pedersen, N Svendsen

  • 1Department of Medicine B, Aalborg Hospital, Denmark. henrik.gregersen@dadlnet.dk

APMIS : Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica, Et Immunologica Scandinavica
|March 20, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Individuals surviving serious pneumococcal infections, like pneumococcal pneumonia or meningitis, face an elevated risk of developing multiple myeloma. However, the overall absolute risk remains low.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Hematology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • The association between serious pneumococcal infections and subsequent multiple myeloma risk is not well-established.
  • Pneumococcal infections, including bacteremia and meningitis, are significant public health concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the incidence of multiple myeloma following community-acquired pneumococcal bacteremia and meningitis.
  • To quantify the risk of multiple myeloma in patients with severe pneumococcal infections.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study was conducted using data from North Jutland, Denmark (1981-1996).
  • Identified 328 episodes of pneumococcal bacteremia and 77 of pneumococcal meningitis in individuals over 40.
  • Linked patient data to the Danish Cancer Registry to determine subsequent multiple myeloma diagnoses.

Main Results:

  • In the bacteremia cohort (1,218 patient-years), 7 multiple myeloma cases occurred versus 0.13 expected (SIR 53.5).
  • In the meningitis cohort (444 patient-years), 4 multiple myeloma cases occurred versus 0.05 expected (SIR 83.2).
  • Survivors of pneumococcal bacteremia or meningitis showed a significantly increased standardized incidence ratio for multiple myeloma.

Conclusions:

  • Community-acquired pneumococcal bacteremia and meningitis are associated with an increased risk of subsequent multiple myeloma.
  • While the relative risk is high, the absolute risk of developing multiple myeloma after these infections is low.

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