Today I’d like to post the link to a very interesting article published recently in the “Myeloma Beacon”: http://goo.gl/jIhKJ

Here’s my own experience, which I’ve written about on the blog: in 2005 (= the year of my SMM diagnosis; progression from MGUS, diagnosed in 1999) I had chronic, painful yeast infections. This infection business had actually begun a few years before, as I recall (without checking my medical history documents), but in 2005 it definitely got worse…Couldn’t get rid of the blasted things…Took truckloads of antibiotics in many shapes and forms and strengths, to no avail (except more misery). 

The infections disappeared not too long after I began taking curcumin (January of 2006), and they haven’t come back since. I must say, this was an unexpected and most welcome side effect of the wondrous yellow stuff…

Now, I recall reading somewhere that recurrent infections can be a symptom of progression…where was that? Ah yes, here it is. In the International Myeloma Working Group “Criteria” (2003): http://goo.gl/Fq1BS No, that’s not it. I read something more specific…somewhere else…but I don’t have the time to check it out right now.

Ah wait, here’s a possibly relevant study (“Blood,” 2008): Our observation of an association between MM/MGUS and specific prior bacterial or viral infections suggest that these infectious conditions may be a potential trigger for MM/MGUS development or a manifestation of underlying immune disturbances due to undetected MM or late-stage MGUS. Recurrent infections largely of bacterial origin (septicemia, meningitis, and pneumonia) are often part of the natural history of MM. (Full text: http://goo.gl/AnLLy) Ok, not yeast infections, which, however, definitely have a bacterial origin…

This 2008 study seems to counter what we just read in the Beacon article, doesn’t it? I mean, the former states that infections could be possible triggers both for MGUS and MM, the latter that infections did not increase an MGUS patient’s risk of progressing to multiple myeloma. Well, I suppose many things can change in 3-4 years…

So…which is it, eh? Food for thought…

By the way, many thanks to Dr. James R. Berenson for providing the link to the Beacon article (on Facebook)…