الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract This study aims to determine rheumatic manifestations associated with hematologic malignancies namely acute and chronic leukemia, malignant lymphoma and multiple myeloma. In conclusions, rheumatic manifestations occur in 62.5% of patients with leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, significantly more commonly than in age and sex matched controls, with an odds ratio of 4.7. Joint pain, low back pain and arthritis are the commonest manifestations. They may precede the other manifestations of malignancy, occur during the course of illness or follow as complication chemotherapy. Awareness of these rheumatic manifestations is of great importance as some of them may be helpful in early detection of the malignant disease. RF and ANA are not useful diagnostic tests for evaluating patients with suspected hematological malignancies, being safely positive frequently in those patients, and not discriminating patients with and without rheumatic manifestations. Beta-2 microglobulin is a useful laboratory test in hematological malignancy, being a marker for bone pain and predicting osteopenia in x-ray and increased uptake in bone scan. Therefore, the relationship between bete-2 microglobulin and the presence of rheumatic manifestations and/ or radiological findings needs further evaluation. Further investigation into the association between muscuskeletal manifestations and hematological malignancies, their markers and determinants is also recommended in larger series. |