Macroglobulinemia is the presence of increased levels of
macroglobulin
Macroglobulins are large globular proteins and are found in the blood and other body fluids. Various physiological processes, including immunity, coagulation, and chemical transport, rely on these proteins. A macroglobulin is a plasma globulin ...
s in the circulating
blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells.
Blood is com ...
.
It is a
plasma cell dyscrasia
In hematology, plasma cell dyscrasias (also termed plasma cell disorders and plasma cell proliferative diseases) are a spectrum of progressively more severe monoclonal gammopathies in which a clone or multiple clones of pre-malignant or malign ...
, resembling
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
, with cells of lymphocytic, plasmacytic, or intermediate morphology, which secrete a monoclonal
immunoglobulin M
Immunoglobulin M (IgM) is the largest of several isotypes of antibodies (also known as immunoglobulin) that are produced by vertebrates. IgM is the first antibody to appear in the response to initial exposure to an antigen;
causing it to also ...
component. There is diffuse infiltration by the malignant cells of the bone marrow and also, in many cases, of the spleen, liver, or lymph nodes. The circulating macroglobulin can produce symptoms of hyperviscosity syndrome: weakness, fatigue, bleeding disorders, and visual disturbances. Peak incidence of macroglobulinemia is in the sixth and seventh decades of life. (Dorland, 28th ed)
See also
*
Waldenström macroglobulinemia
Waldenström macroglobulinemia ( , ) is a type of cancer affecting two types of white blood cells: lymphoplasmacytoid cells and plasma cells (both B cells). It is characterized by having high levels of a circulating antibody, immunoglobulin M (I ...
*
Hematopoietic ulcer
References
External links
Blood disorders
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