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Archive for February, 2020

Conceived Through Fertility Fraud, She Now Needs Fertility Treatment – Kaiser Health News

When Heather Woock was in her late 20s, she started researching her family history. As part of the project, she spit into a tube and sent it to Ancestry, a consumer DNA testing service. Then, in 2017, she started getting messages about the results from people who said they could be half siblings.

I immediately called my mom and said, Mom, is it possible that I have random siblings out there somewhere?' said Woock, of Indianapolis. She recalled her mom responded, No, why? Thats ridiculous.

But the messages continued, and some of them mentioned an Indianapolis fertility practice that she knew her mom had consulted when she had trouble conceiving.

Woock researched and finally learned the truth. Dr. Donald Cline, the fertility doctor her mother saw in 1985, is her biological father.

I went through an identity crisis, she said. I couldnt look in the mirror and think about, Where did my eyes come from? Where did my hair color come from? I didnt even want to think about any of that.

Woock hadnt known that her mom had used artificial insemination to conceive her, and neither of them knew the doctor had used his own sperm.

We now know Cline used his own sample and squirted it into my mom, Woock said.

In the 1970s and 80s, Cline deceived dozens of patients and used his sperm to impregnate them. He has more than 60 biological children and counting.

For Woock, as the story of her parentage sunk in, it was distressing for another reason: She wanted to start her own family and was having trouble conceiving. And now she needed to turn to the fertility industry that had so badly betrayed her mom.

We were doing all of the calendaring everything that is out there to help you get pregnant, we were doing that, Woock recalled.

But after six months, when she still wasnt pregnant at 32, she went to a fertility clinic for some tests.

I had to fill out all this paperwork, and theres a slot that says kind of like, Is there anything else youd like to share? Woock said.

Yes, there most certainly was.

The Odds Of Fertility Fraud These Days

New allegations of doctors using their own sperm keep coming to light because of genetic-testing services like Ancestry revealing networks of half siblings in states like Idaho, Ohio, Colorado and Arkansas.

But those doctors performed artificial inseminations decades ago. Could what happened to Woocks mom happen in a modern fertility clinic?

Dr. Bob Colver, a fertility specialist in Carmel, Indiana, said its a question many of his patients have asked. But its unlikely, he said. These days, there are more people involved in the process, and in vitro fertilization happens in a lab, not an exam room.

Unless youre in a small clinic where theres absolutely no checks and balances, I cant even imagine that today, Colver said.

Its now illegal inIndiana, Texas and California for a doctor to use his sperm to impregnate his patients. But theres no national law criminalizing whats called fertility fraud.

Fertility medicine has advanced a lot since the 1980s, but women trying to get pregnant today with the help of medicine face a baffling array of treatment options that can be hard to navigate and can be hugely expensive. And some critics say the growing, multibillion-dollar fertility industry needs more regulation.

For example, sperm banks may not get accurate medical histories from their donors, who could pass along genetic diseases. And theres no limit on how many times a donors sperm can be used, which some donor children worry could increase the chance of inbreeding. Sperm donation guidelines from organizations like the American Society for Reproductive Medicine are voluntary. There was a contestant onThe Bachelorette last year who said his sperm had helped father more than 100 kids.

Unrealistic Expectations

When Woock decided to get her first fertility treatment, she set preconditions with the clinic. She insisted on having a female doctor and insisted that a doctor be in the room for all appointments and oversee everything that happened.

Her experience with her clinic was very different from her mothers with Cline, but nonetheless there were surprises along the way.

The clinic told her that her problems conceiving could be because of husband Robs low sperm count and motility (meaning his sperm werent great swimmers). They advised a form of in vitro fertilization that involved injecting one sperm directly into one of her eggs in a petri dish.

When doctors told Woock she needed IVF, she felt pretty optimistic.

Im thinking going into this that our chances of success are 70, 75%, Woock said.

Fertility treatment can be really expensive, and patients may start treatment with unrealistic expectations. Thats because success rates are complicated, and some clinics use only the best numbers in theiradvertising.

For example, clinics can advertise high fertilization rates. But a 70% fertilization rate doesnt mean 70% of eggs turn into babies plenty can go wrong after the lab combines egg and sperm.

Success depends on your age, your clinic and the type of procedure you need. But most of the time, assisted reproduction procedures such as IVF dont work. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks assisted reproduction ratesin the U.S., reports only about 24% of attempts result in a baby.

Add-On Technology And Prices

When Woock started her first IVF cycle, she gave herself shots, a couple a day, to stimulate her ovaries to get multiple eggs ready at once. Multiple eggs means more chances for fertilization.

But the drugs have side effects. They gave her headaches and made her moody and less patient.

I was actually allergic to one of the medications, which just means that you keep taking it and deal with the itching and rash, Woock said.

But she hung on until it was time for a doctor to surgically retrieve her eggs, at which point patients can face even more choices. Because the couples fertility problem appeared to be with Robs sperm, the clinic offered to use a special device to help pick the best sperm for IVF.

We were kind of like, Yeah, why wouldnt you?' Woock said. If its gonna give us a better chance, do it.

A device like that is called an add-on. Add-ons are often new technology, described as cutting-edge, which can appeal to patients. Examples of add-ons include genetic testing for chromosomal abnormalities in embryos which some specialists argue improves the odds of a live birth and assisted hatchingandendometrial scratching, both methods claiming to facilitate implantation.

Jack Wilkinson, a biostatistician at the University of Manchester in England, researches add-ons, which he has found can increase costs and, he said, they may not work.

We quite often see theres no benefit at all, Wilkinson said. Or, possibly even worse, that theres a disadvantage of using that treatment.

Wilkinson said the device Woocks clinic offered could work, but the evidence supporting it is thin.

Failed Fertilizations

The clinic called Woock the morning after her egg retrieval. None of Woocks eggs fertilized. The procedure revealed that her husbands sperm quality wasnt the only fertility issue the couple faced.

They immediately saw that there was something wrong with my eggs, Woock said. My eggs are just total crap.

She underwent a second round of IVF with the same result no fertilization.

Getting that news the second time felt even more set in stone that this was going to be a very long, challenging road, Woock said.

Challenging and expensive. Most states, including Indiana, dont require insurers to cover fertility treatment. Without insurance, a round of IVF can cost more than $10,000 even more than $20,000 with no guarantee the patient will get pregnant.

Woock was lucky that her employer-provided insurance covered a lot. But it still wasnt cheap. She had to pay for some medications, plus, you have to pay lab and facility fees that insurance doesnt pay, Woock said.

Donor sperm and eggs arent generally covered, either. Those can be tens of thousands of dollars.

Woock faced a hard choice: After two failed attempts, did she want a kid enough to go through IVF again? She and her husband decided they did. So Woock did a third round of IVF. And then a fourth. When that didnt work, she gave up on using her own eggs.

What I expected as I was growing up and picturing my children is not what I will see, Woock said.

Woock and her husband decided to try donor eggs. If all goes according to plan, she could still carry a child. She wants to keep trying.

I realize that pregnancy is incredibly challenging on your body and your mental state, she said. If I can make it through a year of IVF, I can make it through morning sickness.

This story is part of a partnership that includes Side Effects Public Media, NPR and Kaiser Health News. The story was adapted from Episode 6 of the podcast Sick. You can hear more about the fallout from Dr. Donald Clines deception on Sicks first season, atsickpodcast.org.

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Conceived Through Fertility Fraud, She Now Needs Fertility Treatment - Kaiser Health News

Mineral and Hormonal Dysfunction Associated With Lower BMD in Thalassemia Major – Endocrinology Advisor

Hypothyroidism, hyperglycemia, and low adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) levels are associated with lower bone mass in patients with thalassemia major, according to study results published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The major mechanisms of endocrine dysfunction that lead to decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and increased risk for fracture in patients with thalassemia major remain poorly understood. Researchers aimed to identify the mineral and hormonal factors associated with low BMD in adults with -thalassemia major in a retrospective study of patients who received treatment at the National Taiwan University Hospital (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03951818).

Medical history was obtained for 29 patients (51.7% women), including bone-associated biochemical markers such as serum calcium, phosphorus, intact parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, and fibroblast growth factor 23 levels. Pituitary function and thyroid hormone levels were used as a proxy for endocrine function. BMD was measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Expected height was calculated for each individual based on parental height from patient records.

The mean observed height across all patients was lower than expected (women, -3.7 cm; men, -7.3 cm). Abnormal BMD, defined as a z score 2 standard deviations away from normal BMD, was observed in 42.9% of women and 23.1% of men. In addition, 26.7% of women and 35.7% of men had a history of fracture. Vitamin D deficiency (women, 100%; men, 81.8%), hypogonadism (women, 60%; men, 57.1%), and growth hormone deficiency (women, 75%; men, 57.1%) were highly prevalent in the study group.

Several factors were associated with either femoral neck or lumbar spine BMD, but only thyroid status and lower ACTH levels correlated with BMD at both sites (P <.05). Along with thyroid status (P =.016) and ACTH levels (P =.005), glycated hemoglobin levels (P =.039) were significantly different in patients with normal vs abnormal BMD. When included in a multivariate regression model adjusted for ferritin level, age, and sex, however, hypothyroidism was the only factor significantly associated with lower femoral neck BMD (P =.034). Patients with hypothyroidism had lower BMD at both the lumbar spine (P =.024) and femoral neck (P =.004). No association was found with fracture risk.

Our study is the first study to review the complete endocrine and mineral profiles to identify factors related to the severity of decreased BMD in patients with [thalassemia major], the researchers noted. We found that hypothyroidism and hyperglycemia were the most relevant factors of lower bone mass, while ACTH had a protective role.

The researchers also noted that the interplay between these factors supports the idea that iron overload may be a driver of decreased bone mass in patients with thalassemia major.

Based on these findings, it is promising to conduct interventional trials in the future that evaluate the effect of treating hypothyroidism or glycemic control on BMD and the risk of fracture in patients with [thalassemia major], the researchers concluded.

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Reference

Yang WP, Chang HH, Li HY, et al. Iron overload associated endocrine dysfunction leading to lower bone mineral density in thalassemia major [published online January 7, 2020]. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgz309

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Mineral and Hormonal Dysfunction Associated With Lower BMD in Thalassemia Major - Endocrinology Advisor

The Rape Case Against Nithyananda Should Be Dropped If They Had Sex, She Obviously Wanted It! – Frank Report

By Marie White

Nithyananda Swami is accused of raping a woman named Aarthi Rao some 40 times over a period of five years. There are three arguments that suggest the criminal accusation is false.

Aarthi Rao, alleged victim of rape.

Nithyananda had a sexual potency test taken at Victoria Hospital in Chennai, done supposedly under strict medical supervision. The results have been released and reportedly entered into evidence in his rape case.

The test shows Nithyananda has a testosterone level that precludes his having sex. and that this has been the case since before the alleged five-year span of rapes began.

The test reveals he has a lower testosterone level than a child and, additionally, lack of blood flow, anorchidism, and hypogonadism make it impossible for him to have penile penetration.

Blood flow, hypogonadism, and anorchidism are measured independently of testosterone levels. The test was reportedly studied by a government appointed panel and a private panel of experts and it was unanimously concluded that the Swami is not physically capable of having sex.

It has been argued that there are other kinds of rape, that he could have forcibly held her and assaulted her with his tongue or a flaccid penis. But this is not what the alleged victim claims.She said she was raped by a virile man with full penetration more than 40 times.

The alleged victim, Aarthi Raos purportedly authentic medical records from the University of Michigan were released as part of discovery in a civil lawsuit in Michigan State Court. They show that Aarthi Rao has STDs including a longstanding case of contagious genital herpes.

Nithyananda also reportedly took a test, which shows he is 100 percent STD free.

If this is true, could Nithyananda have had 40 rape sessions with Aarthi Rao, all unprotected, as she claims, and not contract herpes from Aarthi Rao? According to medical reports, she has had herpes for more than a decade.

The alleged victim, Aarthi Rao claims the tests that show she has genital herpes are fake. However, the Indian courts have accepted these records as authentic.

Aarthi Rao claims she was raped repeatedly over a period of five years. She lived in Michigan during the rape period and had to leave the US and come to India where she alleges she was raped.

Even if she was raped the first time, it is undisputed that she continued to visit the ashram of Nithyananda.

If she chose not to tell anyone of being raped, as many fearful victims do, why did she choose to go back?

She did not live with Nithyananda. She lived with her husband in the US. She came periodically to visit the ashram in India where Nithyananda lived.

Her emails show she had to argue with her husband to get permission to come to India to stay at the ashram. Sometimes her husband did not permit her to go and she was despondent.Why would she be despondent about being forbidden to go and get raped?

Most victims would avoid their rapist if they could, even if they do not tell authorities.

Instead she fought to get back.She lied to her husband. She never told him she was raped during the five year period of her alleged rapes.

It defies reasonable credulity and speaks to this being, as some people say, a purely political prosecution.

No rape victim keeps coming back for five years.Its not as if the rapist and his victim lived in the same house and she had no option but to tolerate being raped again and again out of fear or lack of means to escape.

She did not have to escape him. She had to escape her husband to get raped. She had to make extraordinary efforts and undertake international travel to get to her alleged rapist.

We have seen emails that show her husband did not want her to leave and go to Nithyananda. All she had to do was to not come to India and to his ashram to avoid being raped. But she did not.

She fought with her husband to get to India and get raped.

This is what Aarthi Rao wants us to believe.

Obviously, if there was sex, she wanted it. That is so clear that it boggles the mind that anyone could think this is a reasonable prosecution and not a political prosecution.

Something must have changed for Aarthi Rao that made her want to file a charge of rape against her former guru.Perhaps she saw an opportunity to profit.

Nithyananda claims he is a life long celibate and the tests suggest he cannot have sex. Perhaps the tests are fake. Perhaps Aarthi Raos herpes tests are also fake.

But one thing is not fake. It is based on her own admissions: A woman flew halfway across the world to keep getting raped and spending her and her husbands money to go back and get raped!

I think it interesting that her husband left her after finding out she had sex, [or was raped].

He is not a disciple of Nithyananda. I suspect he did not believe her when she said she kept going back and getting raped?

He may have thought she was lying and that she wanted to have sex with Nithyananda.Think about this. She flies to India from America. She has sex with her guru/lover 40 times over 5 years on numerous, separate trips.

Her husband finds out she has herpes. He is angry. She tells him she was raped by Nithyananda and that is how she got herpes.

He does not buy it and decides to leave her. He remembers the fights they had, with her pleading and demanding to got to India. And when she came back she did not act as if she were raped. She could not wait to go back again.

Nithyananda is wealthy. It might be a financial incentive, or perhaps, as likely, she had to defend herself from claims of adultery by charging rape.

In India, adultery is look down upon far more than it is in the USA. Her family is from India and live there still. After her husband left her, she has returned to India.She had motive to lie and offers an implausible story.

The rape case against Nithyananda should be dropped.

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The Rape Case Against Nithyananda Should Be Dropped If They Had Sex, She Obviously Wanted It! - Frank Report

Upregulation of microRNA-200a in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells enhances the repair of spinal cord injury in rats by reducing oxidative stress and…

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common disease with high incidence, disability rate and treatment cost. microRNA (miR)-200a is reported to inhibit Keap1 to activate Nrf2 signaling. This study aimed to explore the effects of lentivirus-mediated miR-200a gene-modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation on the repair of SCI in a rat model. BMSCs were isolated from the bone marrow of Sprague-Dawley rats. miR-200a targeting to Keap1 was identified by luciferase-reporter gene assay. The expressions of Keap1, Nrf2, NQO-1, HO-1 and GCLC were detected by Western blotting in SCI rats. The locomotor capacity of the rats was evaluated using the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scale. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were measured. miR-200a inhibited Keap-1 3 UTR activity in BMSCs. Transplantation of BMSCs with overexpression of miR-200a or si-Keap1increased locomotor function recovery of rats after SCI, while decreased MDA level, increased SOD, CAT activities and Nrf2 expression together with its downstream HO-1, NQO1, GCLC protein expressions in SCI rat. These results indicated that overexpressed miR-200a in BMSCs promoted SCI repair, which may be through regulating anti-oxidative signaling pathway. 2020 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Fighting cancer with every step to Patagonia – Essex News Daily

Photo Courtesy of Michael MankowichAbove, Michael Mankowich and his wife, Kathleen, in Patagonia

NUTLEY, NJ When Nutley resident Michael Mankowichs lower back started to bother him, he figured it was a souvenir from his earlier athletic days. Mike, 58, had been a top-notch wrestler at 132 pounds at Long Islands Commack North High School. Hed been an all-American, in fact, as well as a two-time all-Ivy, three-time New York state champ and three-time EIWA tournament placer as a wrestler at Cornell University. An old wrestlers injury was all it was, he figured, a physical reminder of a quick takedown of an opponent 40 years long forgotten.

But the pain did not go away.

Mike began to see a doctor and a chiropractor, and eventually he got an MRI. The news he received at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in February 2017 was not good. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer that attacks the blood plasma cells responsible for creating disease-fighting antibodies.

They figured it out quickly at Sloan, he said recently, seated with his wife, Kathleen, in their Rutgers Place home. I kept it from Kathleen.

With this news, he became withdrawn, and his wife realized something was wrong. Mike told her what he had learned, and, as so often happens when a couple puts their heads together, they found some reason for hope: multiple myeloma is a blood disease in the bone marrow and, as such, does not metastasize.

Thats where all the action takes place, in the bone marrow, Mike said. You have to keep your chin up.

For treatment, he became part of a six-month chemotherapy clinical study. Mike was glad to be in the study, because most multiple myeloma patients go on chemotherapy for three months and then undergo a stem-cell transplant. He, however, would not.

A stem-cell transplant blows out the immune system, he said.

Kathleen, an administrative coordinator at Felician University School of Nursing, said her husband, a real estate management employee, did not break stride and never missed the commute to New York City during the clinical study.

A member of Nutley High Schools Class of 1976, Kathleen got on the computer.

When your spouse is diagnosed with an incurable cancer, you do a bit of research, she said.

She discovered the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation website and learned it was founded 30 years earlier by a woman named Kathy Giusti, who was living with the disease.

That gave me hope, Kathleen said.

She also learned about a collaboration between MMRF and CURE Media Group called Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma, or MM4MM.

This collaboration promotes endurance events, undertaken by multiple myeloma patients, to places like Mount Fuji, Mount Kilimanjaro and Iceland. The treks raise money for research, as well as public awareness about the disease. A patient selected to participate in one of these exotic treks had to raise funds, but the trip itself was underwritten by Celgene, a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Summit.

Mike was interested and applied in November 2018 for a spot on a team going to Patagonia. He was interviewed and accepted on condition of raising $10,000 for MMRF research. He suggested that Kathleen accompany him, and they eventually raised $30,000 through social media and by asking friends, family and neighbors.

The online MMRF page devoted to Mikes fundraising shows a photograph of him with his arms around Kathleen and their daughter, Mary, a Class of 2020 NHS student.

In a letter featured on the page, Mike informs the reader that MMRF is one of the worlds leading private funders of myeloma research, with 10 new treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

In August 2019, Mike and Kathleen were flown to Oregon to meet their teammates and to get a taste of what was in store for them in Patagonia. According to the MM4MM website: Each team is carefully selected, representing a microcosm of the myeloma community patients, caregivers, health care professionals and clinical trials managers, as well as representatives from our pharma partners, from CURE Magazine and the MMRF to emphasize the collaboration necessary to drive toward cures.

The foundation sent the group to Mount Hood, Mike said. It was the first time we met. What a great group of people. There were around 15 from all over the country, and there was one other couple, but no one else from New Jersey.

Four other multiple myeloma patients were in the group, he said. he team climbed for nine hours and then headed home.

To prepare for the trip to Patagonia, a region containing part of the Andes mountain range, Mike and Kathleen began a regime of long walks. For instance, theyd walk from Nutley to South Orange and went hiking in New Yorks Harriman State Park.

The MMRF website described the journey as one of arduous adventure: This team will traverse Patagonia crossing over glaciers, through deep valleys, and ascending challenging peaks. This is a powerful and life-changing experience, as the team overcomes challenges, pushes beyond perceived limits and honors loved ones and friends living with multiple myeloma.

For the trek, the team flew to El Calafate, Argentina. As the team embarked on different climbs, documentary filmmakers accompanied them.

The hiking was physically difficult, Mike said. We hiked in rain and incredible winds. In one particular hike, as soon as you felt the winds, you hit the ground. I was surprised nobody got hurt. Some of those slopes were pretty steep. But the scenery was unworldly, and there were condors.

Both Mike and Kathleen agreed that the most memorable sight was La Condorera, which their itinerary described as a nearly vertical massif, offering a home to one of the greatest concentrations of endangered condors in the world. A massif is a group of mountains standing apart from other mountains.

It was a difficult hike, Kathleen said. Youre ready to pass out getting to the top. But its so worth it. The panorama is a view of glaciers and condors. It was spectacular.

Mike and Kathleen returned home on Nov. 16, but there were no goodbyes at the airport. The team had grown so incredibly close that everyone felt they would be seeing each other again, a feeling grounded in the knowledge that multiple myeloma can be challenged and hopefully, one day, defeated.

Our goal in all of this is that you can have multiple myeloma and still do incredible things, Kathleen said.

Its an incentive to other patients to get out there and enjoy their lives, Mike said. And find a cure for multiple myeloma. I have a little bias. I have it.

FEATURED, MOBILE

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Lochaber cyclist pledges to cycle from London to Paris in aid of charity – Press and Journal

When David Wilsons spine snapped, leading to a cancer diagnosis, there were fears he would be left paralysed.

But the cyclist and mountaineer had his back rebuilt and went through gruelling chemotherapy and now, just a year later, he is planning a very physical challenge to raise funds for charity,

The Fort William man, who is 60, has journeyed across the globe to the far reaches of the Himalayas, Greenland, Norway and New Zealand. And now he is cycling from London to Paris.

In the summer of 2018, he was cycling the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail a 3,083-mile off-road ride from Canada to Mexico when his back began to hurt.

He cut the trip short, putting his injury down to old age and wear and tear.

And in February last year his spine suddenly snapped due to a form of blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma.

Following his devastating diagnosis, Mr Wilson owner of the Limetree Hotel, restaurant and art gallery in Fort William was transferred to hospital in Glasgow where he underwent surgery to rebuild his spine.

He explained: I was taken from the Belford Hospital to Inverness, then transferred from Inverness to Glasgow to the surgeons there and they were able to rebuild my spine by putting in a scaffolding in my back with titanium and screws. That stage was touch and go on whether I would be paraplegic now and being an outdoors geezer I was pretty fed up about that.

Following a successful surgery, the visual artist began to slowly walk again before enduring a rigorous six month cycle of chemotherapy to attack the disease.

On September 20, he then received a stem cell transplant, giving him a new lease of life.

The father-of-two said: I had a very adventurous life.

I have been in situations where death has been very close to me, people have been killed right next to me but I have always felt there was a way in those situations that you could get out of them but with cancer like this particular cancer there is no escape. Youre in the hands of the disease and you have to take your chances when you get them.

Now in remission, Mr Wilson is aiming to defy the odds by cycling 500km from London to Paris in September, arriving in Paris exactly a year following his stem cell treatment.

He has now launched a Just Giving page in the hopes of raising 1,500 for Myeloma UK towards finding a cure for the crippling disease.

Multiple myeloma, also known simply as Myeloma, is a form of blood cancer arising from plasma cells causing problems to various areas of the body such as the spine, skill, pelvis and ribs.

It develops in abnormal plasma cells, which release a large amount of a single type of antibody known as paraprotein which has no useful function.

Myeloma affects where bone marrow is normally active in an adult, such as in the bones of the spine, skull, pelvis, the rib cage, long bones of the arms and legs and the areas around the shoulders and hips.

Each year in the UK, approximately 5,700 people are diagnosed with myeloma.

Myeloma mainly affects those over the age of 65, however it has been diagnosed in people much younger.

In the early stages of developing the disease, patients rarely experience side effects and is only diagnosed through routine blood or urine tests.

As the disease progresses, the cancer can cause a range of problems including aches and tender areas in your bones, causes bones to break and fracture easily, kidney problems and repeated infections.

Patients can also become lethargic, weak and short of breath caused as a result of anaemia.

In most diagnosed cases of myeloma it cannot be cured, however, treatment can be given to control the condition and minimise its effects for several years.

Treatment includes anti-myeloma medicines to destroy the cancer cells or control the cancer if patients suffer a relapse as well as a range of medicines to prevent or treat side effects of myeloma.

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Lochaber cyclist pledges to cycle from London to Paris in aid of charity - Press and Journal

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