Question 1

how is amyloidosis diagnosed?

Accepted Answer

Biopsy: Amyloid oasis is confirmed by a positive tissue biopsy.

Question 2

how does someone get amyloidosis?

Accepted Answer

Multiple ways: People with chronic inflammatory conditions, e.g., chronic osteomyelitis, crohn's disease; patients with multiple myeloma; some with hereditary disorders can develop amyloidosis. See this site for more info.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyloidosis/basics/definition/CON-20024354

Question 3

what are the signs of amyloidosis?

Accepted Answer

Variable: Black eyes, vascular fraility, kidney damage, breathing difficulty, neurologic damage, airway damage. There are a variety of patterns.

Question 4

what are the tests for amyloidosis?

Accepted Answer

Biopsy: Clinical suspicion and biopsy of the suspected organs, followed by examination of the tissue by a pathologist is usually needed to establish a diagnosis of amyloidosis.

Question 5

what sort of problem is amyloidosis?

Accepted Answer

Amyloidosis: Amyloidosis refers to a variety of conditions whereby the body produces "bad proteins", denoted as amyloid proteins, which are abnormally deposited in organs and/or tissues and cause harm. Symptoms vary widely depending upon the organ in which the abnormal proteins build up. For more see: http://en.Wikipedia.Org/wiki/amyloidosis.

Question 6

is it possible to treat amyloidosis?

Accepted Answer

Primary amyloidosis: It depends on the type of amyloidosis.  Primary systemic amyloidosis can be treated with chemotherapy.  Secondary amyloidosis requires treating the inciting cause.  Genetic variations may have some therapies such as transplant.  
Please ask your question with more details.

Question 7

what are the symptoms of amyloidosis?

Accepted Answer

Depends on what: Organ(s) are affected.  Amyloidosis affects multiple organs, e.g., liver, kidney, heart, skin, spleen, GI tract etc. And the symptoms are due to poor function of the organ.  In general, weakness, edema, persistent swelling of tongue, diarrhea, shortness of breath, and symptoms due to heart and kidney failure.  There are also the symptoms of underlying disease, e.g., multiple myeloma.

Question 8

what is amyloidosis a risk factor for?

Accepted Answer

Amyloidosis is a risk factor for::   Gastroparesis, Mitral stenosis, Trigger finger.

Question 9

are there different forms of amyloidosis?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Amyloidosis is actually a constellation of illnesses characterized by the deposition of protein fragments in various tissues of the body.  The prognosis and treatability of the illness depends upon the type of fragments, the amount of amyloid material and the specific sites of deposition.  Hope this helps.

Question 10

does amyloidosis have a particular cause?

Accepted Answer

Yes and no: Amyloidosis is the deposition of fibrils of proteins that have been produced by a variety of causes.  The causes can be infectious inflammatory or neoplastic.  So each case of amyloidosis has its underlying cause, but different cases of amyloidosis can be caused by different underlying processes that produce these circulating proteins.

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Doctor answers about:

Amyloidosis

A member asked:

How is amyloidosis diagnosed?

A member asked:

How does someone get amyloidosis?

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What are the signs of amyloidosis?

A member asked:

What are the tests for amyloidosis?

A member asked:

What sort of problem is amyloidosis?

A member asked:

Is it possible to treat amyloidosis?

A member asked:

What are the symptoms of amyloidosis?

A member asked:

What is amyloidosis a risk factor for?

A member asked:

Are there different forms of amyloidosis?

A member asked:

Does amyloidosis have a particular cause?

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