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British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) logoLink to British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.)
. 1983 Nov 26;287(6405):1575–1578. doi: 10.1136/bmj.287.6405.1575

Should patients with renal failure associated with myeloma be dialysed?

R A Coward, N P Mallick, I W Delamore
PMCID: PMC1549805  PMID: 6416509

Abstract

In a study of renal function in multiple myeloma seven patients presented with renal failure and three developed it 16-106 months after diagnosis. All were dialysed. Infection with dehydration was a precipitating factor in all seven cases of acute or acute on chronic renal failure. Of these, two patients recovered normal renal function and one other was left with permanent renal impairment but no longer required dialysis. Results from the seven patients with acute renal failure and for the three with more chronic features support the practice of dialysis for all patients who present with renal failure. Dialysis is not indicated for those patients with progressive myelomatous disease. The study showed no evidence that chemotherapy permitted recovery from established renal failure. The prognosis in this elderly group is heavily dependent on the presence of cardiovascular or other degenerative disease.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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