Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis of the heart and lungs

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Amyloidosis of the heart

Amyloidosis (amyloid cardiomyopathy) is a rare cause of chronic heart failure. Disease develops when primary, hereditary or senile form of amyloidosis. In amyloidosis of the heart protein is deposited around the collagen, causing the myocardium is greatly thickened and compacted (the heart reaches a large size, the myocardium becomes less compliant, the blood circulation worsens). Hereditary amyloidosis often does not lead to the emergence of circulatory failure, but it is found more often in certain ethnic groups (Mediterranean group).
When senile amyloidosis no clinical symptoms are often not apparent. In this form of the disease, the amyloid deposited in the myocardium, coronary arteries, aorta.

Often amyloidosis of the heart mistaken for similar symptoms diseases: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, ischemic heart disease, and so on.

Anxiety symptoms of amyloid cardiomyopathy are heart failure, shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, decreased blood pressure, weakness, arrhythmias. Amyloidosis of the heart may cause sudden death.

Amyloidosis is dangerous because in the early stages is almost asymptomatic, but the patient's state of health deteriorates. This usually occurs after infectious diseases. Symptoms of amyloidosis may also be swelling, dizziness, and fainting during stress, physical exertion and emotional strain. Cons are unfavorable sign of the disease, many patients with these symptoms die within a year from their commencement.

Very often, when amyloidosis is suffering skin: the defeat exposed small vessels, around the eyes there is redness on the body can cause rashes, hives. In primary amyloidosis is an increase in language (sometimes it doesn't fit in your mouth, covered with cracks and sores).

Heart failure in amyloidosis tends to progress, so the prognosis in most cases is bad. Treatment is aimed at combating the deterioration of blood circulation, normalization of work of heart muscle: the patient is taking diuretics, glycosides, vitamins.

Amyloidosis of the lungs

Despitethe fact that the amyloidosis predominantly affects the kidneys, liver and spleen, the lungs can also be the primary on the concentration of amyloid. Amyloidosis lungs (primary bronchopulmonary amyloidosis) can occur as complications of pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchiectasis, cyst, congenital chronic zabolevaniyah other organs. The amyloid is most often concentrated on the walls of the blood vessels of the lungs and bronchi.

The disease manifests itself depending on the shape and localization. If amyloid is deposited in the larynx or trachea, the symptoms are hoarseness, difficulty breathing, dry cough, shortness of breath. In amyloidosis disturbed drainage function of bronchi, which can cause harmful inflammatory processes.

When the protein amyloid is deposited directly in the lungs, the clinical symptoms may not be seen, and to diagnose the diseases will be possible only after x-ray examination. Amyloidosis of the lung has the following symptoms: shortness of breath, cough, hemoptysis (bleeding manifests in the bronchi).

Treatment of bronchopulmonary amyloidosis is by means of chemotherapy (use of drugs 4-aminohinolinovogo series) and surgically (removal of amyloid formations).

Prognosis depends on timely diagnosis and successful treatment of the underlying disease. Known cases of spontaneous stoppage of development of amyloidosis, but it does not mean the disappearance of the dangerous changes caused by amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis of the spleen

Amyloidosis affects many organs and tissues of the body, which applies in particular to the spleen. Amyloidosis of the spleen is characterized by protein deposition in lymphoid follicles: a sick body is compacted, increasing in size.

The disease has two stages: 1) "sago"spleen; 2)"tallow" spleen.

In the first stage, the inherent spleen of normal size, follicles in the section have the form of grains; at the second stage the affected organ increases, it becomes smooth and dense, with a greasy Shine.

Amyloidosis of the spleen leading to its functional failure and atrophy. Removal of the organ is able to improve the clinical picture, to reduce the production of amyloid.

Treatment prognosis depends on successful treatment of the disease causing the amyloidosis.