Infections and Paraproteinemia

Paraproteinemia is a condition that is common to a wide spectrum of different rheumatological and hematological entities that are associated with a variable degree of immune defects and organ impairment. In this setting, infections can act both as possible causative agents, either directly or indirectly, and as a complication of the disease and its related treatment strategies. We have reviewed the role of infections in various diseases such as multiple myeloma, MGUS, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, IgG4-related disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, cryoglobulinemia, and amyloidosis, according to the current knowledge and available studies, as well as the main cornerstones for the management of this patient population. Antimicrobial stewardship considerations are also present in the following chapter, as the misuse of antimicrobials is accountable for the surge of increasingly resistant organisms with limited treatment options.