Myeloma and the kidney Infoguide

This Infoguide will help you understand more about myeloma kidney disease, including its causes, symptoms, treatment and management, and advice on living with myeloma kidney disease.

This Infoguide covers key questions and topics about myeloma kidney disease, including:

• What do the kidneys do?
• Why does myeloma cause kidney disease?
• What are the symptoms of myeloma kidney disease
• Tests used to detect and monitor myeloma kidney disease
• Treatment and management of myeloma kidney disease
• Dialysis
• Living with myeloma kidney disease and living with dialysis
• Future directions
• Questions for your healthcare team

Key points you can read about in this Infoguide include:

• The kidneys have many essential functions in the body, including getting rid of waste products; keeping salts and water at the right levels; and controlling blood pressure
• One cause of kidney disease in myeloma is light chains (produced by myeloma cells) blocking the small tubes in the kidney
• Other possible causes are high calcium levels in the blood; kidney infections; and effects of some treatments
• Symptoms of myeloma kidney disease include thirst, fatigue, headaches, gut problems, abnormal amounts of urine, swelling of the feet and hands, and breathlessness
• Treating the myeloma itself is the most effective way to treat myeloma kidney disease. Your healthcare team will treat any kidney infections rapidly, and you will be advised to drink plenty of fluids (unless you are on dialysis, when you will be advised on controlling the amount of fluids you drink)
• You can help to look after your kidneys by not smoking, and eating a healthy diet (including not too much salt)
• In up to 1 in 10 myeloma patients, kidney problems are more severe and need dialysis (a form of treatment to filter your blood). Sometimes this is for only a short time. Possible side effects of dialysis include fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps, itchy skin. There is also an increased risk of developing sepsis, which must be treated urgently.

Myeloma and the kidney Infoguide

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