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Washington University Experience | PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY | 14 AMYLOID NEUROPATHY | 11A0 Case 11 History
Case 11 History ---- This 49 year old woman had congestive heart failure for one year caused by extensive cardiac amyloid infiltration. The terminal event was an arrhythmia, possibly related to a dose of digitalis. The cardiac conducting system itself was relatively spared by amyloid but scars were present in the area as well as extensive amyloid in the surrounding muscle. Extensive amyloid in the pulmonary vessels and alveolar septae may also have contributed to dyspnea. Amyloidosis of the diffuse type in the lungs has been reported to be associated with little disease elsewhere except the heart. In this case, however, there was amyloid in virtually every organ including the intestine, skin, tongue, spleen and parathyroids; the liver and kidneys being notable exceptions. Sections of femoral bone marrow show amyloid deposition and slight increase in plasma cells. No source of chronic infection was found.
