Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Amyloidosis is a heterogeneous disorder resulting from the deposition of toxic insoluble beta-sheet fibrillar protein aggregates.Amyloidosis can be acquired or hereditary.The disease can be localized or systemic.Amyloid can accumulate in the liver, spleen, kidney, heart, nerves, and blood vessels, causing different clinical syndromes.The variation in presentation and rarity of amyloidosis makes it a challenging diagnosis to and one third of cases are not diagnosed up till until a year after presentation.Ultrastructural examination and chemical analysis reveal the complex nature of amyloid.It emerges that on the basis of morphology and physical characteristics, all forms of amyloid are similar in appearance, but they are chemically heterogeneous.Based on analysis, amyloid is composed of 2 main types of complex proteins: Fibril proteins comprise about 95% of amyloid and non-fibrillar components which include P-component predominantly and there are several other different proteins which together constitute the remaining 5% of amyloid.Although not common, amyloidosis is a serious disease that results in significant mortality and morbidity.The most challenging issue is significant delay in diagnosis, sometimes up to several years.Early suspicion and thorough investigation are critical to making a timely diagnosis and referral for treatment. Classification and terminologyIt was Rudolph Virchow in 1854 who adopted the term "amyloid,".Amyloid deposits were noted by Rokitansky to have a "waxy" or "lardaceous" appearance grossly and by Virchow to be amorphous and hyaline on light microscopy.Amyloidosis is a result
Source: Acta Scientific Cancer Biology
Author: Gurpreet Kaur
Institution: Armed Forces Medical College
Language: English
Subfield: Internal Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4392290109