Beta 2-microglobulin and other proteins as parameter for tubular function. If you are concerned about your test results, you will need to arrange an appointment with your doctor so that all relevant information including age, ethnicity, health history, signs and symptoms, laboratory and other procedures (radiology, endoscopy, etc. The X-ray & scan results may take longer. If beta 2 microglobulin is low in the blood and high in the urine, then it is likely that the person has proximal tubular renal damage or disease due to a variety of causes, including cadmium, mercury, lithium, or aminoglycoside toxicity; pyelonephritis; and Balkan nephropathy, a chronic interstitial nephritis of unknown cause. A B2M may be requested during the initial workup of a person who has already been diagnosed with Increased amounts of B2M in the blood and/or urine are not diagnostic of a specific disease or condition. It means that you may have some early kidney damage that affects your renal tubules. Levels are also elevated in several benign conditions such as chronic inflammation, liver disease, renal dysfunction, some acute viral infections, and a number of malignancies, especially hematologic malignancies associated with the B-lymphocyte lineage. Beta 2 microglobulin is frequently elevated in the blood with cancers such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma and with inflammatory disorders and infections (e.g., HIV, CMV). Involved in the presentation of peptide antigens to the immune system. Unlike α3, β2 has no transmembrane region. Beta-2 microglobulin serum test may sometimes be ordered when a person has myeloma or lymphoma to help determine their likely prognosis.A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) beta 2 microglobulin may rarely be ordered when a healthcare practitioner suspects that a disease such as lymphoma is affecting someone’s central nervous system.In most cases, the sample tested will be dictated by the reason that the test is being performed. In rare cases, b2m tests are used to evaluate the effects of a disease on the central nervous system. If you work with or suspect that you have been exposed to cadmium or mercury, then your doctor will order specific tests for cadmium or mercury in your blood and/or urine (see the article on Heavy Metals).Recent nuclear medicine procedures and radiographic contrast media can affect test results.Drugs such as lithium, cyclosporine, cisplatin, carboplatin, and aminoglycoside antibiotics can increase beta 2 microglobulin blood and/or urine concentrations.Levels of beta 2 microglobulin in the blood vary from low levels to four times the lower limit, and this is considered normal.

They can, however, reflect disease activity and the amount of cancer present, if cancer is the cause of the elevated concentration. multiple myeloma.

The results are not generally interchangeable.The beta-2 microglobulin urine test may be used when known physical or suspected kidney damage occurs to distinguish between glomerular and tubular disorders of the kidney.

In a study of pretreatment serum beta 2 microglobulin levels in 100 patients with myeloma it was reported that the median survival of patients with values >4 mcg/mL was 12 months, whereas median survival for patients with values <4 mcg/mL was 43 months.In someone with signs of kidney disease, increased levels of beta 2 microglobulin in the blood and low levels in the urine indicate that the disorder is associated with glomeruli dysfunction. β2 microglobulin associates not only with the alpha chain of MHC class I molecules, but also with class I-like molecules such as CD1 and Qa. Increased beta 2 microglobulin urine excretion is consistent with renal tubular damage. Beta-2 microglobulin is a protein that is found on the surface of almost all cells (nucleated cells) in your body and functions as part of the human immune system. Looking for Reference Ranges?

The beta 2 microglobulin level can be increased in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of individuals with blood cell cancers that have spread (metastasized) to the brain, such as lymphoma, but also with some chronic disorders such as multiple sclerosis and with viral infections such as HIV.Beta 2 microglobulin can also be used to assess kidney function to distinguish between glomerular and tubular disorders of the kidney. In certain neurological situations,

Elevated CSF:serum ratios seen in patients with aseptic meningo-encephalitis suggest the possibility of neurologic processes including those associated with HIV infection and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Beta-2 microglobulin is present in most body fluids and its level rises with conditions that increase cell production and/or destruction, or that activate the immune system. To help evaluate the severity and prognosis of certain cancers, including When you have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma or certain other cancers; sometimes to monitor disease activity and treatmentA blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm; sometimes a On average it takes 7 working days for the blood test results to come back from the hospital, depending on the exact tests requested.

Beta-2-microglobulin (β 2-microglobulin) is a component of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules that is present on all nucleated cells (excluding red blood cells).In humans, the β 2-microglobulin protein is encoded by the B2M gene.

Stable or increasing concentrations indicate that the person is not responding.Low concentrations of B2M are considered normal and it may be undetectable in the urine and CSF.

Normally, only small amounts of beta 2 microglobulin are present in the urine, but when the renal tubules become damaged or diseased, beta 2 microglobulin urine concentrations increase due to the decreased ability to reabsorb this protein. Beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) is a protein that is found on the surface of nucleated cells (contain a nucleus) and functions as part of the human immune system.This protein is routinely shed by cells into the blood and is present in most body fluids, with highest levels in the blood, generally lower levels in spinal fluid, and trace levels in urine.. When someone has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma or lymphoma, that person is likely to have a poorer prognosis if the beta 2 microglobulin level is significantly elevated.For monitoring treatment, decreasing levels over time in someone with multiple myeloma indicate that the person is responding to treatment.

It may be necessary to do a blood test, a urine test, or both together.