Low factor XIII levels and altered fibrinolysis in patients with multiple myeloma

Background: Acquired factor FXIII (FXIII) deficiency can be immune- or non-immune mediated and may cause severe bleeding symptoms. The incidence of acquired FXIII deficiency and its etiology in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are poorly understood.

Objectives: To assess FXIII levels and the balance of fibrinolysis in newly diagnosed, untreated MM and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) patients.

Methods: FXIII activity, mixing studies, FXIII-A₂B₂ antigen, total FXIII-B antigen were measured in platelet-poor plasma from 17 untreated MM patients, 33 untreated MGUS patients, and 30 age and sex-matched healthy controls. Besides routine laboratory measurements, the balance of coagulation and fibrinolysis was evaluated using quantitative fibrin monomer (FM) test, thrombin-antithrombin assay, α2-antiplasmin activity, plasmin-α2-antiplasmin (PAP) complex, D-dimer, plasmin generation assay, clot lysis assay, and ClotPro-TPA test.

Results: FXIII-A₂B₂ levels were significantly lower in MM patients compared to controls [median (IQR):14.6 (11.2-19.4) vs. 21.8 (17.1-26.4) mg/L, p = 0.0015], whereas total FXIII-B did not differ between groups. Decrease in FXIII activity was parallel to the decrease in FXIII-A₂B₂. An immune-mediated inhibitory mechanism was ruled out. Free/total FXIII-B was significantly higher in MM patients compared to MGUS and healthy controls, suggesting an etiology of FXIII-A consumption. In MM and MGUS patients, FM, D-dimer, and PAP complex were significantly elevated compared to controls, indicating hypercoagulability and ongoing fibrinolysis.

Conclusions: Low FXIII levels due to consumption were observed in MM patients at diagnosis. Hypercoagulability and ongoing fibrinolysis were detected in MM and MGUS, indicating that a disturbed hemostasis balance is already present in the latter benign condition.