Hi everyone,
I am very new to this site and am looking for answers to some questions.
I'm living with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and was diagnosed with cryoglobulinemia from the HCV. I also have chronic kidney disease, stage 3a.
My nephrologist ordered some more blood work, with one being the series of light chain tests.
My kappa free light chains quant is 87.7 mg /l .
My lambda free light chains is 52.5mg/l.
The kappa: lambda free light chains ratio is 1.67.
Should I be concerned about multiple myeloma?
Also, if it's the ratio that really matters, and mine not being extremely high, does that make a difference too, and why do the need the kappa free light chains quant and the lambda free light chains numbers then?
I'm hoping someone can help me with this. Thank you for your time.
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Re: Hepatitis C, cryoglobulinemia, and myeloma?
Hi there,
I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, so please interpret the following information accordingly. As I understand it, in individuals with known kidney disease such as yourself, doctors often employ an adjusted reference range for the serum free light chain ratio, as kidney problems can alter the results of the free light chain test. I do not know at what stage of kidney disease the adjusted reference range becomes appropriate, however.
I believe the upper limit of the 'normal' range for the kappa/lambda ratio in individuals with known kidney disease is approximately 3, so your kappa-lambda ratio would fall well within that range.
The takeaway from this is that you appear to have elevated levels of both kappa and lambda, with what may represent a normal balance between the two, based on your kidney condition. If this is in fact the case (check with your doctor), it would represent a polyclonal rather than monoclonal process, which would point away from myeloma and related disorders. Polyclonal increases in free light chain levels are quite non-specific and may be seen in many different conditions.
I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, so please interpret the following information accordingly. As I understand it, in individuals with known kidney disease such as yourself, doctors often employ an adjusted reference range for the serum free light chain ratio, as kidney problems can alter the results of the free light chain test. I do not know at what stage of kidney disease the adjusted reference range becomes appropriate, however.
I believe the upper limit of the 'normal' range for the kappa/lambda ratio in individuals with known kidney disease is approximately 3, so your kappa-lambda ratio would fall well within that range.
The takeaway from this is that you appear to have elevated levels of both kappa and lambda, with what may represent a normal balance between the two, based on your kidney condition. If this is in fact the case (check with your doctor), it would represent a polyclonal rather than monoclonal process, which would point away from myeloma and related disorders. Polyclonal increases in free light chain levels are quite non-specific and may be seen in many different conditions.
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• Page 1 of 1
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