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Abstract Background Paraproteinemic keratopathy is a rare disorder characterized by the bilateral accumulation of polychromatic deposits diffusely in all corneal layers together or not with diffuse or patchy pseudo lipid deposits. We present an atypical case of paraproteinemic keratopathy which lead to an initial misdiagnosis of infectious crystalline keratopathy. Case presentation a 69-year-old woman with an asymptomatic keratopathy detected during a cataract intervention. Slit-lamp examination revealed several hyper refringent subepithelial foci with fern-shaped branches, resembling crystalline keratopathy, in her left eye. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography revealed exclusively subepithelial hyperreflective lesions limited to the anterior stroma. The progressive bilateralization and progression of the condition prompted us to include other entities with crystalline corneal deposits in our differential diagnosis. Hematological analysis showed a high number of free Kappa light chains. Despite the typical clinical appearance of crystalline keratopathy, the atypical evolution and test results led us to consider that monoclonal gammopathy could be the cause of this entity. Conclusions Paraproteinemic keratopathy may present in its early stages as a unilateral subepithelial crystalline keratopathy. Thus, it must always be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of any crystalline keratopathy, particularly when there are no predisposing factors for an infectious crystalline keratopathy. Early recognition of this rare entity is important to address the associated potentially serious systemic disease.

Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) is a disease, that at times poses diagnostic and monitoring challenges. Over the last decades laboratory methods have been expanded with serum free light chain (FLC) analysis. Alerted by two index cases with clinical impact due to failure of the FLC analysis to indicate a disease progression, we aimed to identify any clinical consequences due to known differences between FLC analysis methods. We applied two FLC analysis methods (Freelite Binding Site [FBS] and N‐Latex Siemens [NLS]) on all patients with MM and monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance diagnosed/followed up at Södra Älvsborg Hematology Unit, from April to December 2022. From a total of 123 patients with malignant plasma cell disorder, we identified five cases (4.1%) where solely the FBS method, as opposed to NLS, urine and serum electrophoresis, could support diagnosis or detect progression. The consequences of this discrepancy included not only change of diagnosis or delayed therapy but also change of treatment. Our findings indicate that a stronger awareness of the potential weaknesses of different FLC methods is needed, which calls for a closer collaboration between clinical chemists and hematologists.

BackgroundCutaneous tuberculosis (CTB) and its paucibacillary forms are rare and difficult to diagnose, especially in immunocompromised patients with significant comorbidity. The aim of the study was to introduce the modern concept of the microbiome and diagnostic chain into clinical practice (patient-centered care) with the presentation of an atypical form of cutaneous tuberculosis with necrotizing non-healing ulcers leading to polymicrobial infection.MethodsThe study material included samples from sputum, broncho-alveolar lavage and skin ulcer, taken from a patient developing cutaneous tuberculosis. The microbiological investigation was performed, and identification of the isolates was carried out using genotyping and the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry.ResultsThe immunocompromised patient with humoral abnormality (plasma cell dyscrasia) and severe paraproteinemia developed multiorgan tuberculosis. Although cutaneous manifestation preceded systemic and pulmonary symptoms (approximately half a year), the mycobacterial genotyping confirmed the same MTB strain existence in skin ulcers and the respiratory system. Therefore, the infectious chain: transmission, the portal of entry, and bacterial spreading in vivo, were unclear. Microbial diversity found in wound microbiota (among others Gordonia bronchialis, Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, and Pseudomonas oryzihabitans) was associated with the spread of a skin lesion. The in vitro biofilm-forming capacity of strains isolated from the wound may represent the potential virulence of these strains. Thus, the role of polymicrobial biofilm may be crucial in ulcer formation and CTB manifestation.ConclusionsSevere wound healing as a unique biofilm-forming niche should be tested for Mycobacterium (on species and strain levels) and coexisting microorganisms using a wide range of microbiological techniques. In immunodeficient patients with non-typical CTB presentation, the chain of transmission and MTB spread is still an open issue for further research.

Abstract Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma (NXG) is a rare dermatosis that is often associated with monoclonal paraproteinemia and hematological malignancies. We report the rare case of an 84‐year‐old gentleman with extensive truncal NXG and IgG‐kappa paraproteinemia who achieved significant disease regression following six cycles of combination melphalan/prednisone therapy.

Abstract Background We report a case of light chain proximal tubulopathy associated with lupus nephritis in a patient known to have systemic lupus erythematosus. The kidney can be injured in several ways in any of these disorders. Light chain proximal tubulopathy is a rare form of renal tubular injury that may occur in and complicate plasma cell dyscrasia, characterized by cytoplasmic inclusions of the monoclonal light chain within proximal tubular cells. Lupus nephritis is a common form of renal injury as it occurs in about 25–50% of adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Case presentation We present a 57-year-old African patient known to have systemic lupus erythematosus and hypertension presented with a new complaint of microscopic hematuria. A renal biopsy was performed and revealed lupus nephritis class II concurrently associated with light chain induced proximal tubulopathy. A subsequent bone marrow biopsy was performed, which revealed multiple myeloma. Conclusions We report a case of coincidental lupus nephritis and proximal tubulopathy featuring a combined constellation of rare histopathological features that might add to the relationship between systemic lupus and paraproteinemia.

Abstract Background This study aimed to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with paraproteinemia and renal damage. Methods Ninety-six patients from 2014 to 2018 with paraproteinemia and renal damage were enrolled and the clinical data, renal pathology, treatment and prognosis data were collected. Results A total of 96 patients (54 male and 42 female), accounting for 2.7% of all renal biopsies, were enrolled in this study. Among them, 42 were monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS), 21 were renal monotypic immunoglobulin alone (renal monoIg), and 19 were monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Individuals with multiple myeloma (MM) accounted for the fewest number of patients (n = 14). In the MGRS group, the main diseases were amyloidosis (n = 25) and cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis (n = 7), while in the MM group, the main diseases were cast nephropathy (n = 9) and light chain deposit disease (n = 3). In the MGUS group, it was mainly IgA nephropathy (IgAN, n = 10) and idiopathic membranous nephropathy (n = 5); while in the renal monoIg group, most of the cases were IgAN (n = 19). Chemotherapy was mainly administered to patients in the MM group, while immunosuppression therapy was mostly administered to patients in the renal monoIg group. Most patients with renal monoIg exhibited a major response, followed by the patients with MGUS and MGRS, while most of the patients with MM had a partial response but none had a major response. Approximately more than half (57.1%) of the patients with MM progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), followed by MGRS (33.3%); however, the mortality rate was low in both the MGRS and MM groups. The survival analysis reviewed that serum creatinine, hemoglobin levels, and the serum κ/λ ratio were independent risk factors for ESRD in patients with MGRS. Conclusions The clinicopathological changes in patients with MGRS were between those in patients with MM and MGUS. The treatment for MGRS and MM was more intensive, and the overall mortality rate was low. Both MGUS and renal monoIg alone exhibited slighter clinicopathological features than MGRS and MM, and the treatment was focused mostly on primary renal diseases.

Abstract Scleromyxedema is a rare and progressive disease that currently has no standard treatment. Triplet therapy with lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone can be an effective therapy for scleromyxedema, especially in patients with refractory or relapsed disease.

Purpose: To report the long-term follow-up (12 years) of a 36-year-old male patient with crystalline keratopathy of both eyes, diagnosed with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Complete ophthalmic, systemic, and corneal immunohistochemical evaluations were performed. Observations: Slit-lamp examination revealed bilateral fine iridescent confluent crystalline deposits in all layers of the cornea, both peripherally and centrally. Systemic evaluation revealed abnormal M protein, IgG-kappa type, in blood and urine. Bone marrow aspiration showed a monoclonal plasma cell concentration of 2%. Consequently, the patient was diagnosed with MGUS. Because of progressive bilateral visual loss in the following 10 years, a perforating keratoplasty was performed on the left eye. Immunohistochemical analysis of the native cornea (the corneal button) revealed depositions of the same M protein type as detected in plasma and urine. Electron microscopy showed rhomboid-shaped corneal deposits of various sizes up to 4 μm. Recurrence of crystalline keratopathy was observed 9 months after keratoplasty. The monoclonal protein remained stable and the MGUS did not progress to multiple myeloma nor a related disorder. Conclusions and importance: Crystalline keratopathy may be associated with MGUS in otherwise healthy individuals. If the keratopathy causes binocular visual loss, a corneal transplantation may be required. Unfortunately, recurrence of crystalline deposits in the corneal graft may occur within one year. This suggests that patients with vision impairment due to paraproteinemic keratopathy who are diagnosed as MGUS, in fact, have a monoclonal gammopathy of ocular significance (MGOS).

Scleromyxoedema is a rare generalized cutaneous mucinosis, which in absence of thyroid disease, occurs almost invariably in patients with monoclonal gammopathies. A 54-year-old female patient presented with complaint of tightening of skin on the extremities, abdomen, forehead, gradually progressive since 1 year, episodes of generalized tonic–clonic convulsions, and acute psychosis since 5 days. Cutaneous examination revealed nonpitting edema over the face and sclerodermoid changes over extremities. Laboratory investigations showed presence of M-band on serum-protein electrophoresis and monoclonal spike of IgG lambda component on immunofixation. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed periventricular subcortical lacunar infarcts. Skin biopsy with mucin staining was suggestive of scleromyxoedema. All other investigations were normal. Bone marrow biopsy showed a mild focal increase in plasma cells. The cutaneous, serological, and electrophoretic findings as well as the clinical profile of the patient were consistent with the diagnosis of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance associated with scleromyxoedema. This case is presented because of its rare occurrence.

Scleromyxedema is an uncommon disease, affecting the skin mainly and other internal organs sometimes, characterized by fibroblasts proliferation, fibrosis, and mucous deposition in the absence of thyroid disorder. It is associated with monoclonal gammopathy in most cases. We are reporting a case with a rare presentation of tumoral scleromyxedema in the neck, with a mass mimicking other tumoral lesions, highlighting the importance of diagnosis and histopathologic correlation.

Scleromyxedema is a rare and distinctive variant of cutaneous mucinoses of unknown etiology. It is presenting with generalized papular eruption and sclerodermoid induration. Numerous treatment modalities have been reported to produce partial or permanent responses. This study reports on a case of scleromyxedema without paraproteinemia in a subject who experienced a partial response to thalidomide and prednisolone.

Light-chain deposition disease is a rare paraproteinaemia characterized by deposition of monoclonal light-chain immunoglobulins with a non-amyloid structure, most frequently affecting the kidney. The authors present the case of a 58-year-old man admitted due to haemorrhagic shock caused by spontaneous splenic rupture. Investigation showed coagulopathy, homogeneous hepatomegaly with elevated cholestasis enzymes but normal bilirubinaemia, and a nephrotic syndrome with monoclonal kappa light chains. Liver and bone marrow biopsies revealed light-chain deposition disease. Splenic rupture as the presentation of a paraproteinaemia is rare. The diagnosis of light-chain deposition disease should be considered in case of a monoclonal plasma cell disorder with Congo-red negative deposits on histology.

Paraproteinemic polyneuropathy accounts for up to 30% of chronic demyelinating polyneuropathies. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and neurophysiological patterns of the nosology compared with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). We examined 30 patients with PNP against a background of monoclonal gammopathy (16 with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and 14 with hemoblastosis) and 30 patients with CIDP. The history, neurological status and results of stimulation electroneuromyography were evaluated. A number of significant differences were recorded which suggest paraproteinemia in patients with demyelinating PNP. Nevertheless, immunofixation electrophoresis is currently the only method of the disease verification.

The paper describes the case of a female patient who had at least three diseases: scleromyxedema, dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM), and paraproteinemia (monoclonal gammopathy). The concurrence of these diseases determines the atypism of their clinical and morphological patterns, as well as refractoriness to performed therapy. Scleromyxedema preceded DM followed by paraproteinemia, which does not rule out its presence in an earlier period when the patent was not carefully examined. The specific feature of this case is scleromyxedema concurrent with DM that was prevalent in the clinical picture of the disease, by determining the severity of the patient’s status and the need to be treated with high-dose glucocorticoids in combination with immunosuppressive drugs. There was no evidence for scleroderma systematica that was supposed to be present in the patient who had scleroderma-like skin involvement.The authors have repeatedly mentioned the concurrency pattern of scleroderma diseases, which reflects the close mechanisms of their development and hinders the identification of specific nosological entities. In this observation, the concurrence of scleromyxedema and DM complements a group of overlap diseases observed in dermatology and rheumatology.Paraproteinemia characteristic of scleromyxedema is occasionally encountered in systemic connective tissue diseases. The patient had monoclonal gammopathy that is most common in scleromyxedema. No signs of myeloma and tumors were seen. Classical paraneoplastic DM/PM was not detected either, which does not rule out the fact that the mechanism responsible for the development of this syndrome and the disease is similar in the patient described.

A amiloidose cardíaca é considerada uma doença rara e classicamente descrita como de mau prognóstico, com sobrevivência média de seis meses, desde a instalação da sintomatologia de insuficiência cardíaca. Quando há suspeita de amiloidose cardíaca está indicado o estudo etiológico, para caracterização do tipo de proteína implicada, bem como a avaliação do atingimento de outros órgãos. Neste artigo, os autores relatam dois casos, diagnosticados e tratados no Hospital CUF Descobertas (HCD) - em colaboração com o Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa (IPOL) e o National Amyloidosis Centre (NAC), Londres - de insuficiência cardíaca por amiloidose AL associada a gamapatia monoclonal. Atualmente os doentes mantêm seguimento no HCD e apresentam-se clinicamente bem. Recebido: 02/05/2017 - Aceite: 18/08/2017

A amiloidose cardíaca é considerada uma doença rara e classicamente descrita como de mau prognóstico, com sobrevivência média de seis meses, desde a instalação da sintomatologia de insuficiência cardíaca. Quando há suspeita de amiloidose cardíaca está indicado o estudo etiológico, para caracterização do tipo de proteína implicada, bem como a avaliação do atingimento de outros órgãos. Neste artigo, os autores relatam dois casos, diagnosticados e tratados no Hospital CUF Descobertas (HCD) - em colaboração com o Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa (IPOL) e o National Amyloidosis Centre (NAC), Londres - de insuficiência cardíaca por amiloidose AL associada a gamapatia monoclonal. Atualmente os doentes mantêm seguimento no HCD e apresentam-se clinicamente bem. Recebido: 02/05/2017 - Aceite: 18/08/2017

People Living with HIV (PLHIV) are at an increased risk of developing malignancies. Plasma cell disorders are also reported with increased incidence in PLHIV compared to the general population. Here, we describe three different plasma cell disorders among PLHIV and highlight their atypical presentations and outcomes in these subjects.

Scleromyxedema (SM) is a sclerotic variant of lichen or papular mucinosis in which lichenoid papules and scleroderma-like features are both present. It is a rare deposition disorder characterized by generalized papular and sclerodermoid eruptions, mucin deposition, increased fibroblast proliferation, fibrosis, and monoclonal gammopathy (also known as paraproteinemia) mainly of the immunoglobulin G-lambda type in the absence of thyroid disease. It usually affects middle-aged adults and shows no gender or racial predilection. In addition to the skin findings and paraproteinemia, patients with SM have variable multisystem affections that mimic systemic sclerosis; the systems which are commonly involved include the gastrointestinal tract, musculoskeletal, pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, and central nervous systems, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Prominent symptoms include dysphagia, proximal muscle weakness, and dyspnea on exertion; less common but important findings include central nervous system involvement in the form of encephalopathy, convulsions, coma, and psychosis.

Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma is an uncommon granulomatous disease involving the skin and extracutaneous tissues. It is characterized by indurated, yellow-red plaques and nodules, involving primarily the face and less frequently the trunk and extremities. The disease has a strong association with paraproteinemia and other hematologic or lym-phoproliferative disorders. Histologically, the dermal part shows xanthogranulomatous change with extensive necrobiosis and many Touton and foreign-body giant cells. Here, we describe a case of a 46-year-old man with a 1-year history of multiple cutaneous lesions over the trunk and thighs. Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma was diagnosed by histology and clinically associated with paraproteinemia. This case is also unusual in that there was no periorbital involvement, which is believed to be a typical feature of this disease.

ABSTRACT Factitious biochemical reports result in the misguiding of clinicians, unnecessary retesting, wrong diagnoses and incorrect treatments. A vigilant biochemist identifies these factitious biochemical reports and alerts the clinician regarding the proper interpretation of the biochemical reports, thus preventing a misdiagnosis and an incorrect treatment. We are presenting a case report of a multiple myeloma patient who presented with factitious biochemical reports which were caused due to paraproteinaemia. In the present case, the patient presented with an underestimation of urea and creatinine, an underestimation of sodium, low albumin levels and high phosphate levels. On repeating the same tests after dilutions and deproteinizing, the effects of the paraproteins on the above mentioned tests were reduced. Thus, from the observations of our study, we suggest that the interference by paraproteinaemia can be reduced by analyzing the biochemical parameters after dilution and deproteinization.