Do Plasma Cells Affect Hemoglobin and Red Blood Cell Counts in Patients With and Without Myeloma?

Abstract

Background: We undertook this study to evaluate if there is any significant correlation between hemoglobin levels, red blood cell (RBC) count, bone marrow normoblast percentage and marrow plasma cell percentage in patients with and without myeloma.

Methods: In this study, we compared hemoglobin level, red blood cell count and bone marrow normoblast percentage with plasma cell percent in 60 patients with and without myeloma (30 with and 30 without myeloma).

Results: There was significant negative correlation for all three in the myeloma group (P values of 0.03, 0.02 and < 0.0001 for hemoglobin, red cell count and normoblast percent respectively). In the non myeloma group significant negative correlation (P = 0.02) was seen only between normoblast and plasma cell percent. The students-t-test between the two groups revealed a significant difference between mean red cell count and normoblast percentage, however the mean hemoglobin was similar. We further sub classified the myeloma group based on hemoglobin level and found that the commonest subgroup had average hemoglobin of 84 g/L.

Conclusions: We conclude that in the non myeloma group there is possibility of plasma cells affecting bone marrow normoblast count. We have also raised the possibility of absence of ineffective erythropoiesis in the myeloma group.




doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4021/jh38w