Prevalence of M-proteins in serum of hospitalized patients. Physicians' response to finding M-proteins in serum protein electrophoresis

M-proteins (tall, narrow spikes) are the major finding in serum protein electrophoresis (SPE), and their presence could signify lymphoproliferative diseases. The physicians' response to this finding in 73,630 patients in whom a SPE was performed as part of a routine screening at hospital admission was studied. Serum and urine immunoelectrophoresis (IEP) were requested on the report of SPE in all patients who showed M-proteins on SPE. In 59 percent of these patients, neither serum nor urine IEP were ordered, and it was assumed that the results of SPE were ignored by physicians. The frequency of M-proteins (1.1 percent) in the hospitalized patients was higher than that reported for normal individuals. It is suggested that SPE should not be performed as a screening test in hospitals.

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