Experimental and Clinical Physiology and BiochemistryReceived: 07-04-2025
Accepted: 28-05-2025
Published: 01-07-2025
Multiple myeloma is characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of plasma cells that produce monoclonal immunoglobulin or only its fragments, leading to bone tissue destruction and organ damage. The SARS-CoV-2 virus can cause exacerbation of lymphoproliferative disease or its relapse, and at the same time, COVID-19 is most severely tolerated by patients, in particular, with malignant diseases of the blood, hematopoietic and lymphoid systems. During coronavirus infection, cancer patients may develop a «cytokine storm», as evidenced by high levels of cytokines such as interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Therefore, it is necessary to study changes in the main clinical manifestations and some hematological, pro-inflammatory, and pro-coagulant parameters in patients with multiple myeloma after coronavirus infection.
87 people with multiple myeloma who were treated at the State Institution «Institute of Blood Pathology and Transfusion Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine» from October 2022 to December 2024 were examined. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1 – patients with MM and post-covid syndrome (n = 53), group 2 – patients with MM (n = 34) who did not have coronavirus disease.
The groups were comparable in age and gender. The results of the study showed a significant difference in the frequency of main complaints between patients with and without post-COVID syndrome. No significant differences were found between the groups in hematological and biochemical parameters, however, in the group of patients with a history of coronavirus disease, the level of D-dimer was significantly higher,which may indicate residual procoagulant activity, an increased risk of thrombotic complications, and the need for anticoagulant therapy. Age, high-risk MM, kidney disease, and suboptimal MM control were found to be independent predictors of adverse outcome in COVID-19 infection.
It has been stated that after COVID-19, it is necessary to increase attention to possible relapses of MM. Patients may need more frequent examinations, monitoring of protein marker levels and serum immunoglobulin levels to timely determine disease progression.
Keywords: multiple myeloma, coronavirus infection, SARS-CoV-2 virus, COVID-19, post-COVID syndrome, cytokine storm, protein markers, immunoglobulins
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