Herbal Treatment for Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia

Disease Information

What Is Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia?

Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia is a cancer of the B lymphocytes (a kind of white blood cell). Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia is connected with the overproduction of proteins called IgM antibodies. This condition is classified as a lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. The abnormal cells have characteristics of both white blood cells (lymphocytes) called B cells and of other mature cells derived from B cells known as plasma cells. These abnormal cells create additional amounts of IgM, a type of protein known as an immunoglobulin; the overproduction of this big protein is how the condition got its name “macroglobulinemia”.

Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia generally begins in a person’s sixties and is a slow-growing (indolent) cancer. Various affected persons have high levels of IgM and lymphoplasmacytic cells but no symptoms of the condition; in these cases, waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia disease is generally found incidentally by a blood test taken for any more reason. These persons are diagnosed with burning (or asymptomatic) Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. It can be some years before this form of the condition progresses to the symptomatic form.

As a result of proliferation in the bone marrow and other sites, the lymphoplasmacytic cells of Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia may interfere with normal functioning. In the bone marrow where blood cells are produced, the waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia cells “crowd out” the normal blood cells and may lead to a decrease in normal blood counts; in the lymph nodes and other organs, the WM cells may lead to extension of these structures and other complications.
The over-production of IgM may also cause various of the symptoms connected with the disease. IgM is a great antibody and tends to make the blood thicker than normal, a condition called hyperviscosity. Unlike normal antibodies that fight infection, the IgM produced by waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia cells has no helpful function.

Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Causes

There are several Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Causes that reason and they are summed up as under:

• The exact cause is not known
• Role of genetics
• Changes in DNA
• Defects in bone marrow cells
• Missing of a piece of chromosome

Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Symptoms

There are many Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Symptoms but the most common are as follow:

• Some patients don’t witness any symptoms
• Weakness
• Severe fatigue
• Bleeding from the nose or gums
• Sudden weight loss
• Bruises or other skin lesions
• High levels of IgM
• Blurring of vision
• Neurological problems such as headache, dizziness, vertigo
• Visual disturbances
• Diarrhea
• Malabsorption
• Renal disease
• Amyloidosis of the heart, kidney, liver, lungs, and joints
• Bleeding manifestations
• Platelet dysfunction
• Coagulation factor
• Fibrinogen abnormalities due to interaction with plasma IgM
• Raynaud phenomenon
• Increased predisposition to infection due to B-cell dysfunction
• T-cell dysfunction
• Cardiac failure
• Increased incidence of lymphomas, myelodysplasia, and leukemias