Clinical analysis of hospital-acquired infections in patients with multiple myeloma: a study of 200 cases.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the clinical characteristics of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in patients undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 200 patients with multiple myeloma treated at Haiyan County People's Hospital in Jiaxing. The incidence rate, sites of infection, and causative pathogens of HAIs were recorded. Patients were divided into an infection group (n=37) and a non-infection group (n=163) based on the presence of HAIs. According to follow-up outcomes, they were further classified into a recurrence group (n=76) and a non-recurrence group (n=124). Risk factors associated with HAIs in patients with multiple myeloma were analyzed, and the predictive value of serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels for the recurrence of multiple myeloma was assessed.

RESULTS

Among the 200 patients with multiple myeloma, the incidence of HAIs was 18.5%. The respiratory tract was the most commonly affected site, with Gram-negative bacilli being the predominant pathogens. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified neutropenia, age ≥60 years, chemotherapy, low serum albumin levels, high Revised International Staging System (R-ISS) stage, elevated body mass index (BMI), and comorbid diabetes mellitus as significant risk factors for infection following multiple myeloma treatment (all P<0.05). In addition, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that serum IgA and IgG levels were strong predictors for recurrence in patients with multiple myeloma, with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.936 and 0.914, respectively. IgA showed a sensitivity of 97.8% and specificity of 93.5%, while IgG demonstrated a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 80.0%.

CONCLUSION

Patients with multiple myeloma are at increased risk of developing HAIs after treatment, particularly respiratory infections caused by Gram-negative bacilli. Moreover, serum IgA and IgG levels may serve as reliable biomarkers for predicting disease recurrence.