Secondary amyloidosis (patient information)

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Secondary amyloidosis

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

When to seek urgent medical care?

Diagnosis

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Secondary amyloidosis?

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sahar Memar Montazerin, M.D.[2]

Overview

Secondary amyloidosis is a disorder in which abnormal proteins build up in tissues and organs especially in the kidney. Clumps of the abnormal proteins are called amyloid deposits.

What are the symptoms of Secondary amyloidosis?

Symptoms depend on the organs affected by the deposits. Since the kidney is the most commonly affected organ, it will manifest with signs and symptoms related to kidney involvement.

Symptoms include:

  • Frothy urine
  • Swelling in the arms and legs
  • Periorbital edema

Other less common symptoms include:

Patients may also have other symptoms due to the underlying disorder, such as:

What causes Secondary amyloidosis?

Any condition causing chronic inflammation in the body may cause secondary amyloidosis as well. The most important causes of chronic inflammation include:

Secondary amyloidosis can lead to conditions that include:

The deposits build up in the affected organs, causing them to become stiff, which decreases their ability to function.

Who is at highest risk?

Patients with diseases causing chronic infections and persistent inflammation within the body are at the highest risk of developing secondary amyloidosis.

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your health care provider if:

Diagnosis

A patient with a chronic inflammatory disease or chronic infection may develop high levels of protein in the urine or other associated AA symptoms, then the physician should test for AA amyloid deposition. When renal damage occurs, it can be clinically shown as proteinuria (the protein found in the urine), nephrotic syndrome, or impairment of renal (kidney) function.

  • A 24-hour urine collection can be performed to look at the level of protein in the patient’s urine sample.
  • A biopsy of renal (kidney) tissue is recommended to get an accurate diagnosis.
  • Congo-red staining of the sample is required to confirm the diagnosis. An apple green color under a ‘polarizing’ microscope is consistent with the diagnosis.

Once AA amyloidosis is confirmed it is important to look for the primary underlying inflammatory condition, if not already known. Then, the next step is to determine the extent of amyloid involvement in all organs and develop a plan for treatment. This is done by a careful physical examination and laboratory studies of kidney and heart function. Your doctor may order tests to confirm amyloidosis of other organ. For example:

This disease may also affect the results of the following tests:

Treatment options

In secondary amyloidosis, aggressively treating the disease that is causing the excess amyloid protein can improve symptoms and/or slow the disease from getting worse. Complications such as heart failure, kidney failure, and other problems can sometimes be treated when needed.

Where to find medical care for Secondary amyloidosis?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Secondary amyloidosis

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Since kidney is the most commonly involved organ, it may lead to kidney failure and other complications including death.

Possible complications

Sources

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000533.htm Template:WH Template:WS CME Category::Cardiology