Guide To The Symptoms Of Multiple Myeloma

Loss Of Appetite

Several symptoms are seen in individuals affected by almost all forms of cancer. This includes multiple myeloma. One such symptom is a loss of appetite. Cancerous cells in the body need glucose, oxygen, and other nutrients to carry out their functions the same way healthy cells need these nutrients. However, cancerous cells grow and divide much quicker than healthy cells do. This induces a process that creates a large number of malignant cells in the body compared to the number of healthy cells.

The cancerous cells use up all the nutrients and calories absorbed from the food the patient consumes, leaving little left for the healthy cells to use to produce energy. This lack of energy causes processes in the body to slow down. One of the processes that slow is digestion. When food stagnates in the digestive system, the patient can experience a loss of appetite. Patients may also deal with appetite loss in this condition due to high calcium in their blood.

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Chronic Fatigue

One of the most common symptoms observed in individuals with cancer, including this one, is chronic fatigue and weakness. The prevalence of these symptoms is not surprising because malignant tumors are made of cells. All cells require energy, which is produced by processes that require nutrients like glucose and oxygen. Cancerous cells use up more glucose faster than healthy cells do because they are constantly growing and dividing.

Due to this property of cancerous cells, healthy cells become deprived of the nutrients needed to produce enough cellular energy to carry out their functions. This lack of energy causes the body to implement a mechanism to compensate for the reduced amount of energy, where ATP is allocated to organs vital to sustaining life. This process takes energy from non-critical cells like those that form the limb muscles to cater to the cells of vital organs. The redistribution of energy causes a multiple myeloma patient to experience chronic fatigue.

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