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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffIt's estimated that between 10 and 25 percent of people with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance develop a more serious condition, such as multiple myeloma or other cancers or blood disorders.
Doctors can't definitively predict who will go on to develop a more serious condition, but they can determine who has the greatest risk. Your doctor takes into account several factors when determining your risk, including:
- The amount of M protein in your blood
- The type of M protein
- The amount of another small protein (free light chain) in your blood
- The number of plasma cells in your bone marrow
- The presence of protein in your urine
Your risk of developing a more serious condition increases the longer you've had monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance.
Other complications associated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance include fractures and blood clots.
- Blade J. Monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006;355:2765.
- Rajkumar SV, et al. Advances in the diagnosis, classification, risk stratification, and management of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: Implications for recategorizing disease entities in the presence of evolving scientific evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2010;85:945.
- Rajkumar SV. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 19, 2010.
- Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec11/ch144/ch144d.html. Accessed Oct. 21, 2010.
- Wadhera RK, et al. Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: A systematic review. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2010;85:933.
- Landgren O, et al. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance among black and white women. Blood. 2010;116:1056.
- Mikhael JR (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Ariz. Nov. 12, 2010.
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