title: [Monoclonal gammopathy: a frequently overlooked diagnosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To know the rate of occurrence of monoclonal bands in a clinical laboratory as an estimate of monoclonal gammopathy incidence, and to detect the proportion of these bands in which an explicit clinical diagnosis or follow-up request is not established. Other objectives are to describe its distribution and the characteristics of the patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  200 patients were studied in which a monoclonal band had been detected de novo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence was 6.59 x 10(-4) year(-1). In 59.5% a diagnostic assumption was not stated. Most frequent diagnosis in the group of patients with a diagnosis was monoclonal gammopathy with uncertain meaning. Average age of patients was 74.4 years and the difference between percentages by sex was statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data suggest a lack of clinical effort when the result is the appearance of a monoclonal band. There is no discrepancy in the distribution of the bands and in the characteristics of the patients with regard to what is described in other studies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario de Guadalajara, SESCAM. miriambatuecas@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Batuecas Mohedano
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Piqueras Argüello
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carballo Alvarez
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Parra Cid
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Larrubia Marfil
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vinssac Gil
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Granizo Domínguez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010265:Paraproteinemias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology