Heavy Chain Disease, Mu Medication

  • Author: Ajeet Gajra, MD; Chief Editor: Emmanuel C Besa, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jan 2, 2010
 
 

Medication Summary

No specific treatment exists. In the absence of a demonstrated lymphoproliferative disorder, the condition is monitored as a monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance. Once a lymphoproliferative disorder develops, chemotherapeutic agents are used as appropriate for the patient's disorder, stage, and clinical situation (eg, melphalan and prednisone or vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone for multiple myeloma; chlorambucil or fludarabine for CLL). Successful treatment with fludarabine phosphate has recently been reported in two cases.[10] The details of some of these therapies can be found in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Multiple Myeloma.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Ajeet Gajra, MD  Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, State University of New York Upstate Medical University; Consulting Staff, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Ajeet Gajra, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Research, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, American Medical Association, and American Society of Hematology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Sara J Grethlein, MD  Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University

Sara J Grethlein, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Hematology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Paul Schick, MD  Emeritus Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Medical College; Research Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine; Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Lankenau Hospital, Wynnewood, PA

Paul Schick, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American Heart Association, American Society of Hematology, International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, and New York Academy of Sciences

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine

Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Troy H Guthrie, Jr, MD  Director of Cancer Institute, Baptist Medical Center

Troy H Guthrie, Jr, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Federation for Medical Research, American Medical Association, American Society of Hematology, Florida Medical Association, Medical Association of Georgia, and Southern Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Rajalaxmi McKenna, MD, FACP  Southwest Medical Consultants, SC, Department of Medicine, Good Samaritan Hospital, Advocate Health Systems

Rajalaxmi McKenna, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, and International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Emmanuel C Besa, MD  Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University

Emmanuel C Besa, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Education, American College of Clinical Pharmacology, American Federation for Medical Research, American Society of Hematology, and New York Academy of Sciences

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

  1. Ballard HS, Hamilton LM, Marcus AJ, Illes CH. A new variant of heavy-chain disease (mu-chain disease). N Engl J Med. May 7 1970;282(19):1060-2. [Medline].

  2. Bakhshi A, Guglielmi P, Coligan JE, et al. A pre-translational defect in a case of human mu heavy chain disease. Mol Immunol. Jul 1986;23(7):725-32. [Medline].

  3. Mihaesco C, Ferrara P, Guillemot JC, et al. A new extra sequence at the amino terminal of a mu heavy chain disease protein (DAG). Mol Immunol. Aug 1990;27(8):771-6. [Medline].

  4. Bonhomme J, Seligmann M, Mihaesco C, et al. MU-chain disease in an African patient. Blood. Apr 1974;43(4):485-92. [Medline].

  5. Kinoshita K, Yamagata T, Nozaki Y, et al. Mu-heavy chain disease associated with systemic amyloidosis. Hematology. Apr 2004;9(2):135-7. [Medline].

  6. Witzig TE, Wahner-Roedler DL. Heavy chain disease. Curr Treat Options Oncol. Jun 2002;3(3):247-54. [Medline].

  7. Wahler-Roedler, DLKyle RA. Heavy hain Diseases. Best Practice & Research Clinical Hematology. 2005;18:729-46.

  8. Lougaris V, Ferrari S, Cattalini M, Soresina A, Plebani A. Autosomal recessive agammaglobulinemia: novel insights from mutations in Ig-beta. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. Sep 2008;8(5):404-8. [Medline].

  9. Maisnar V, Tichy M, Stulik J, et al. Capillary immunotyping electrophoresis and high resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis for the detection of mu-heavy chain disease. Clin Chim Acta. Mar 2008;389(1-2):171-3. [Medline].

  10. Yanai M, Maeda A, Watanabe N, et al. Successful treatment of mu-heavy chain disease with fludarabine monophosphate: a case report. Int J Hematol. Feb 2004;79(2):174-7. [Medline].

  11. O'Connell TX, Horita TJ, Kasravi B. Understanding and interpreting serum protein electrophoresis. Am Fam Physician. Jan 1 2005;71(1):105-12. [Medline].

  12. Buxbaum JN, Alexander A. Heavy Chain Diseases. In: Beutler B, Lichtman MA, Coller BS, Kipps TJ, and Seligsohn U, eds. Williams Hematology. 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2001:1327-36.

  13. Fermand JP, Brouet JC. Heavy-chain diseases. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. Dec 1999;13(6):1281-94. [Medline].

  14. Iwasaki T, Hamano T, Kobayashi K, Kakishita E. A case of mu-heavy chain disease: combined features of mu-chain disease and macroglobulinemia. Int J Hematol. Oct 1997;66(3):359-65. [Medline].

  15. Liapis H, Papadakis I, Nakopoulou L. Nodular glomerulosclerosis secondary to mu heavy chain deposits. Hum Pathol. Jan 2000;31(1):122-5. [Medline].

  16. Preud'homme JL, Bauwens M, Dumont G, et al. Cast nephropathy in mu heavy chain disease. Clin Nephrol. Aug 1997;48(2):118-21. [Medline].

  17. Wahner-Roedler DL, Kyle RA. Mu-heavy chain disease: presentation as a benign monoclonal gammopathy. Am J Hematol. May 1992;40(1):56-60. [Medline].

 
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