Amyloidosis

Introduction: Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis: Proteins are important building blocks for all body parts, including muscles, bones, hair, and nails. Proteins circulate throughout ... more about Amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis: A rare group of metabolic disorders where a protein called amyloid accumulates in body organs and tissues where it can cause damage and is potentially fatal. Symptoms depend on the organs involved. There are numerous forms of the condition: primary amyloidosis, secondary amyloidosis, hemodialysis-associated amyloidosis and familial amyloidosis. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Amyloidosis is available below.

Symptoms of Amyloidosis

• Symptoms depend on the organ affected by amyloid deposits
• Kidney symptoms
• Liver symptoms
• Spleen symptoms
• Lung symptoms

See full list of 79 symptoms of Amyloidosis

Medical Textbooks Online about Amyloidosis

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Amyloidosis?

• Misdiagnosis of Amyloidosis
• Underlying causes of Amyloidosis (possibly wrongly diagnosed)

Causes of Amyloidosis

• Tuberculosis
• Chronic inflammatory disorders
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Autoimmune diseases

Read more about causes of Amyloidosis

More information about causes of Amyloidosis:

• Underlying causes of Amyloidosis
• Amyloidosis as a complication caused by other conditions
• Amyloidosis as a symptom

Videos for Amyloidosis

Patient Surveys for Amyloidosis

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Amyloidosis
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Amyloidosis

More about prognosis of Amyloidosis

Reseach about Amyloidosis

Visit our research pages for current research about Amyloidosis treatments.

Clinical Trials for Amyloidosis

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Amyloidosis include:

• The Effect of Diflunisal on Familial Amyloidosis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - diflunisal
• Study of High-Dose Melphalan and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With Primary Light Chain Amyloidosis - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - melphalan
• Study of the Safety and Efficacy of NC-503 in Secondary (AA) Amyloidosis - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - NC-503 (Anti-amyloidotic (AA) Agent)
• Study of Systemic Amyloidosis Presentation and Prognosis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Mixed Chimeric Transplantation for Primary Amyloidosis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)

See full list of 71 Clinical Trials for Amyloidosis

Statistics for Amyloidosis

• Medical statistics for Amyloidosis
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Amyloidosis
• Death and Mortality statistics for Amyloidosis
• Society statistics for Amyloidosis

Types of Amyloidosis

• Primary amyloidosis
• Dialysis-related amyloidosis

Read more about Types of Amyloidosis

Stories from Users Related to Amyloidosis

• Question about some medical terms

Related forums and stories:

• Blood Conditions (92)
  • Anemia - ice chewing
  • small red spots on arms legs back chest
  • Low Platelets, Low white blood count
  • Magnesium Deficiency
  • tingly, heavy arms
  • More user stories

User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Amyloidosis, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis and Kidney Disease: NIDDK (Excerpt)

Proteins are important building blocks for all body parts, including muscles, bones, hair, and nails. Proteins circulate throughout the body in the blood and are normally harmless. Occasionally, cells produce abnormal proteins that can settle in body tissue, forming deposits and causing disease. When these deposits of abnormal proteins were first discovered, they were called amyloid, and the disease process amyloidosis. (Source: excerpt from Amyloidosis and Kidney Disease: NIDDK)

Kidney Failure Glossary: NIDDK (Excerpt)

A condition in which a protein-like material builds up in one or more organs. This material cannot be broken down and interferes with the normal function of that organ. People who have been on dialysis for several years often develop amyloidosis because the artificial membranes used in dialysis fail to filter the protein-like material out of the blood. (Source: excerpt from Kidney Failure Glossary: NIDDK)

Definitions of Amyloidosis:

A disease characterised by the deposition of amyloid in various organs of the body. It is generally considered that the amyloidoses share common pathogenic mechanisms which lead to protein fibril formation and deposition. These mechanisms may include structural, metabolic, genetic and environmental factors that may be common to all forms of amyloidosis. Primary amyloidosis, while the most common form of amyloidosis, is a sporadic disease and, therefore, can only be investigated on a case by case basis. Secondary (reactive) amyloidosis occurs in subjects with chronic inflammatory disease or cancer but factors which predict amyloid formation and which subject is going to be affected, are not readily apparent. Alzheimer disease, while very common in the aged population, is unpredictable except for those rare forms of familial Alzheimer disease with characterized mutations in specific genes. Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis has generally been considered a rare disease and the original impetus to study the pathogenesis of this disease was because it represented a human model of systemic amyloidosis. - (Source - Diseases Database)

A disorder characterized by deposit of amyloid in organs or tissues; often secondary to chronic rheumatoid arthritis or tuberculosis or multiple myeloma - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Amyloidosis is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Amyloidosis, or a subtype of Amyloidosis, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Amyloidosis as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet