[The clinical picture of multiple myeloma]

Diagnosis of multiple myeloma is based on the triad paraproteinemia, osteolytic bone lesions and bone marrow plasma cell infiltration. Clinically, rheumatoid-like pain induced by osteolytic skeletal lesions often prevails. Occasionally, foudroyant bacterial infections - the most frequent cause of death in myelomatosis - or acute/subacute renal failure or rarely, acute hemi- or paraparesis precede diagnosis. Establishment of diagnosis early in the course of the disease and improved cytostatic and symptomatic treatment has led to a decrease in episodes of hyperviscosity-syndromes. Severe renal insufficiency due to Bence-Jones proteinuria prevails in 20% of patients already at time of diagnosis. With increasing duration of the disease, frequency of renal insufficiency further increases. Hypercalcemia with consecutive dehydration and renal insufficiency usually is a complication of long-standing disease. Anemia, leukopenia and thrombo-cytopenia are not only side effects of cytostatic treatment, but also consequences of tumor-induced suppression of hematopoiesis. Polyneuropathies are common in myelomatosis. They probably are the result of specific and/or unspecific binding of paraproteins to myelin sheaths. Effective treatment for this complication is not available at present. Thrombohemorrhagic complications are more frequent in patients with myeloma than in the control group of other hospitalized patients. Non-secretory myeloma, osteoblastic myeloma and Takatsuki syndrome are variants of myelomatosis. Solitary and extramedullary plasmocytoma are different, potentially curable entities. Prognosis is especially poor in patients with plasma cell leukemia and poor in primary amyloidosis.