Dr. Rajesh Gulati
Family Physician
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Patient's Query
Hi doctor,
I am over-concerned about my health and just had my annual blood work done. Everything came back normal except for the low anion gap. It has been low for the past three times, but none of my doctors are concerned. When I looked online, it said a low score is rare and can even be because of cancer like multiple myeloma, causing me to be confused and worried. What could be causing this, and why are they not concerned? I had an electrolyte hydration drink and had a lot of water the night before. Would that impact the results? Do I need to worry? Outside of this anxiety, I am otherwise healthy and have no other symptoms. Do these results suggest anything like cancer? Please help.
Thank you.
Hi,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I have read the query, and I can understand your concern.
Lots of hydration or consuming electrolytes can impact the results. Therefore, you should not worry, it does not seem like multiple myeloma. For confirmation, you can test serum protein electrophoresis for M spike and serum-free light chain assays. These are dedicated tests to confirm the diagnosis of multiple myeloma.
I hope this will help you.
Thank you.
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
Thanks for the reply.
Would there be something concerning multiple myeloma? Will you be concerned based on the results? Would you suggest other testing? Do you think other testing is unnecessary? Also, are there any other negative effects of having a low anion gap? Please help.
Thank you.
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
I have read the query, and I can understand your concern.
I would repeat the anion gap after one month. It does not seem cancerous or multiple myeloma. But if you are concerned about multiple myeloma, I suggest you test for serum protein electrophoresis for multiple myeloma and serum-free light chain assay to rule out multiple myeloma.
I hope this will help you.
Thank you.
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