Monoclonal gammopathy in a tertiary referral hospital

Objective: Monoclonal gammopathies reflect conditions of plasma B-cell disorders. Our objective was to identify the prevalence and types of these gammopathies in our population. Methods: A 10. year retrospective study was conducted. Serum and/or urine protein electrophoresis were performed on 6624 samples. Positive bands were further tested by immunofixation (IFE). Results: Homogenous bands were detected in 7% of the patients. IFE method confirmed 6.3% in which 59% were males and 41% were females. The mean age was 64.7 for females and 66.5 for males. The sensitivity and specificity were 91% and 99% respectively. The most common protein was IgG kappa 41%, followed by IgG lambda 19%. Sixty-eight percent of these patients had monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and 14.6% had multiple myeloma. Conclusion: The majority of the studied population had MGUS. This observation is in concord with other western populations. The sensitivity and specificity of protein electrophoresis is diagnostically and reasonably acceptable.