[Winston]

Meaning of IgA, IgG, IgM levels when you have MGUS?

by Winston on Tue Mar 21, 2017 5:46 am

I've been told by a hematologist for a few years now that I have MGUS with no significance. We moved so I had a new appointment with a local hematologist / specialist where we now live. After blood work, my readings are:

IgA - 81 mg/dl (standard range: 70 - 400 mg/dl)
IgG - 2154 mg/dl (standard range: 700 - 1600 mg/dl)
IgM - 62 mg/dl (standard range: 40 - 230 mg/dl).

What significance are the readings as to potential multiple myeloma (especially the high IgG)?

Thanks,

[Multibilly]

Re: Meaning of IgA, IgG, IgM levels when you have MGUS?

by Multibilly on Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:20 am

Hi Winston,

Welcome to the forum, but sorry that you find yourself here.

You really shouldn't look at just one set of myeloma-related lab data without looking at all of your key data, including your m-spike, free light chain levels, calcium, hemoglobin and creatinine levels.

Having said that, your immunoglobulin numbers mean that you have IgG-type MGUS (in your case, IgG is your "involved" immunoglobuin and your plasma cells are producing monoclonal versions of IgG) . Your IgG level is not especially high and suggests that you have an IgG mspike (the level of monoclonal IgG in your blood) that is likely somewhere in the range of about 1 g/dL (again, not that high and in line with a diagnosis of MUGS). But you should really look at your serum protein electrophoresis results to get your exact m-spike number.

You are also not suffering from immunoparesis (the suppression of your "uninvolved" IgA and IgM immunoglobulins), which is good news from a prognostic standpoint. But you should keep an eye on your IgA and IgM levels since they are sitting towards the lower end of their normal ranges.

One can't say what the likelihood of your MGUS transitioning to multiple myeloma is in any particular case, but the typical risk of transformation of MGUS to multiple myeloma is about 1.5% - 2%/year. It really helps to graph the key data over time to see if your MGUS is progressing or simply holding steady. It also pays to be seen by a hematologist that specializes in multiple myeloma. If you let us know what city you are in, folks on this forum can likely make some recommendations on where to find a multiple myeloma specialist in your area.