Study subjects with evidence of an M protein
| Patient no. . | Sex . | Age, y . | M-protein isotype . | M-protein concentration, g/dL . | Free κ, mg/dL . | Free λ, mg/dL . | FLC ratio . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | 59 | IgG κ | 0.22 | 6.76 | 11.05 | 0.61 |
| 2 | F | 53 | IgG λ | 0.60 | 8.65 | 12.24 | 0.71 |
| 3 | M | 50 | IgG κ | 0.54 | 15.09 | 11.46 | 1.32 |
| 4 | M | 54 | IgG κ | 0.39 | 21.76 | 14.91 | 1.46 |
| 5 | M | 54 | Biclonal (IgG κ and IgG λ) | 0.57, 0.62 | 14.09 | 11.59 | 1.22 |
| 6 | M | 53 | IgG λ | 1.45 | 6.28 | 285.64 | 0.02 |
| 7 | M | 56 | IgA κ | 1.89 | 18.64 | 11.26 | 1.66 |
| 8 | M | 56 | IgG λ | 0.47 | 6.14 | 11.63 | 0.53 |
| Patient no. . | Sex . | Age, y . | M-protein isotype . | M-protein concentration, g/dL . | Free κ, mg/dL . | Free λ, mg/dL . | FLC ratio . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | 59 | IgG κ | 0.22 | 6.76 | 11.05 | 0.61 |
| 2 | F | 53 | IgG λ | 0.60 | 8.65 | 12.24 | 0.71 |
| 3 | M | 50 | IgG κ | 0.54 | 15.09 | 11.46 | 1.32 |
| 4 | M | 54 | IgG κ | 0.39 | 21.76 | 14.91 | 1.46 |
| 5 | M | 54 | Biclonal (IgG κ and IgG λ) | 0.57, 0.62 | 14.09 | 11.59 | 1.22 |
| 6 | M | 53 | IgG λ | 1.45 | 6.28 | 285.64 | 0.02 |
| 7 | M | 56 | IgA κ | 1.89 | 18.64 | 11.26 | 1.66 |
| 8 | M | 56 | IgG λ | 0.47 | 6.14 | 11.63 | 0.53 |
These results are based on screening of 500 men and 500 women (50 years of age or older) in an ethnically Chinese population in Hong Kong, and support the fact that Chinese individuals in Hong Kong have lower incidence of MGUS than whites. The minimal number of samples required to distinguish 0.8% (our study proportion) from 3% (lower bound of reported prevalence of MGUS in whites7 ) is 448 (power [β] = 90%; specificity [α] = 95% 2-tailed; test: 1-sample χ2).