Symptoms

People with multiple myeloma may experience the following symptoms. Sometimes, people with multiple myeloma do not show any of these symptoms. Or, these symptoms may be caused by a medical condition that is not cancer. If you are concerned about a symptom on this list, please talk with your doctor.

• Fatigue is usually caused by anemia and occurs in most people with myeloma. Anemia is a low level of red blood cells, which happens when the myeloma plasma cells crowd out normal red blood cells.
  
  
• Bone pain, a common symptom, is caused by local bone damage and osteoporosis (general thinning of the bone), which makes the bone more likely to break. The back or ribs are the most common sites of bone pain, but any bone can be affected. Pain is usually worse with movement and at night. If cancer is in the spine, the vertebrae (individual bones that make up the spine) can collapse and cause nerve pain. In advanced multiple myeloma, a patient may lose inches from his or her height due to compressed vertebrae.
  
  
• Kidney damage or failure
  
  
• Weight loss, nausea, thirst, muscle weakness, and mental confusion symptoms are related to kidney failure, hypercalcemia (high calcium levels in the blood), or other imbalances in blood chemicals.
  
  
• Hypercalcemia, resulting in symptoms of drowsiness, constipation, and kidney damage
  
  
• Infections, especially of the upper respiratory tract and lungs
  
  
• Blood clots, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, bruising, and hazy vision caused by hyperviscosity (thickened blood)