What are the symptoms of Waldenstrom’s Disease? WM cell growth can also cause a reduction in white blood cells, which can make you more susceptible to infection, as well as a reduction in blood platelets, which can lead to increased bleeding and bruising. This is known as hyperviscosity, a condition that makes it difficult for all of your organs and tissues to function properly.Īdditionally, the growth of WM cells can lead to healthy blood cells being “crowded out,” which leads to low levels of red blood cells - a condition called anemia. When this happens, your blood will become thicker. WM cells produce an excess amount of a type of antibody called immunoglobulin M, or IgM. These cells are called lymphoplasmacytic, or WM, cells, and they have characteristics of both lymphocytes and plasma cells. Waldenstrom’s disease is characterized by an excess number of abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow. Plasma cells make proteins called antibodies, or immunoglobulins, that help the body attack invading diseases. One such cell is the B lymphocyte, also known as a B cell.ī cells are a form of white blood cell that responds to infection by changing into another type of cell called a plasma cell. The immune system produces cells that protect your body against infection. To understand Waldenstrom’s disease, it’s important to understand how the body’s immune system works. The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that there are between 1,100 to 1,500 cases of Waldenstrom’s disease diagnosed each year in the United States. Lymphocytes are part of your immune system, which defends your body from pathogens and fights off infections. These are cancers that start in white blood cells, called lymphocytes. Waldenstrom’s disease is a rare, slow-spreading type of form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Treatment can depend on the severity of your symptoms and other factors.

Waldenstrom’s disease is a type of cancer that causes abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow to overproduce immunoglobulin M (IgM).

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