Monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) is a plasma cell disease where a person has an abnormal protein in their blood. This protein can cause kidney damage and lead to kidney failure when left untreated.
Protecting your body’s protection system
Plasma cells are your body's first line of defense. They produce proteins called antibodies, which help your body fight off infections.
When someone has MGRS, their body produces an abnormal protein, monoclonal immunoglobulin, which can build up in the blood, harm the kidneys and make it harder for the other antibody proteins to do their job.
While there's not yet a cure for MGRS, it's very treatable. When you're under our care, we'll create a personalized plan to protect your kidneys and get your plasma cells into fighting shape again.
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Conditions
Like other plasma cell diseases, MGRS is caused by abnormal proteins in your blood. Where MGRS starts to differ from other plasma cell diseases is how the abnormal proteins develop. For people living with MGRS, the abnormal proteins don't create cancer cells, unlike conditions including multiple myeloma, which do.
Testing
We may discover MGRS during routine blood work unrelated to the condition. But if we suspect that you might have MGRS, we’ll conduct a variety of blood and urine tests to look for monoclonal immunoglobulins.
If those initial tests show an elevated level of abnormal proteins, we’ll order a test called a protein electrophoresis test, which helps us identify exactly what kind of protein is causing your condition. We may also perform a biopsy to get a clear picture of how advanced the MGRS is.
Treatments
Early recognition of MGRS is important because treatments like chemotherapy can slow the production of monoclonal immunoglobulin. These treatments offer you better functionality in your daily tasks and can also reverse kidney damage.
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