Rheumatoid Arthritis Terminating in Plasmocytoma

Five patients with rheumatoid arthritis and myeloma are described. A typical case of rheumatoid arthritis and benign gammopathy is also reported. In all of the patients with myeloma the joint disease was considered to be primary rheumatoid arthritis. The cases are discussed against the background of other plasma cell dyscrasias in rheumatics. The present cases seem to argue in favour of the view that during the course of chronic rheumatoid arthritis with protracted irritation of the immune system, plasma cell diseases are likely to develop. During the progression of multiple myeloma, the patients' joint symptoms abated and the titre of rheumatoid factor in the serum dropped. In some of the cases cytostatic treatment of the multiple myeloma may have been of significance for the remission of the joint symptoms.