Cytostatic therapy for AA amyloidosis complicating psoriatic spondyloarthropathy

Treatment of renal AA-Amyloidosis associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection: a case report

We present a case of a young adult male who was treated successfully for renal AA-amyloidosis secondary to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection using highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). He presented with lobar pneumonia, acute kidney injury, nephrotic syndrome and newly diagnosed HIV infection and was initiated on HARRT and haemodialysis. Kidney biopsy was consistent with amyloid deposition of the AA-type. His clinical condition improved gradually and after 10 months of therapy, he regained sufficient excretory function to become dialysis independent. Two years later, he remained well, with a recovered CD4 count and a glomerular filtration rate of 63 mL/min/1.73 m². Patients with renal AA-amyloidosis typically present with slowly progressive chronic kidney disease, often leading to end-stage kidney disease within months. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of biopsy proven renal AA-amyloidosis in a newly diagnosed HIV positive patient to present with acute kidney injury leading to dialysis dependence over a period of 2 weeks, which was successfully treated using HAART.

Renal disorders in rheumatologic diseases: the spectrum is changing (part 2. Arthridides)

This review is devoted to rheumatologic diseases mainly characterized by different types of arthritis. They may involve also different organs, including the kidney, but renal disease is more frequently caused by the nephrotoxicity of drugs to relieve pain or to interfere with the pathophysiology of the underlying disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is the prototype of arthropathies. This autoimmune disease mainly attacks joints, tendons and ligaments but can also involve internal organs including the kidney. Psoriatic arthritis is a complex disease in which psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disease, is associated with the development of peripheral arthritis or spondylitis. The disease or its treatment may lead to kidney complications. Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis which is characterized by an increase in the serum uric acid deposits in and around the joints of the extremities, the so called tophi. The disease is often associated with a metabolic syndrome with diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Kidney injury is frequent. It may be caused by kidney stones, urinary tract obstruction, tubulointerstitial and vascular lesions leading to CKD and renal failure.

Renal cell carcinoma presenting as AA amyloidosis: a case report and review of the literature

A 47-year-old Caucasian man developed mild diarrhoea associated with more than 10 kg weight loss, severe fatigue and anaemia. Endoscopy demonstrated deposits of AA amyloid within the gastrointestinal tract. He had heavy proteinuria with a serum albumin of 15 g/L consistent with systemic AA amyloidosis. He had no symptoms to suggest an underlying chronic inflammatory condition but had CRP 130 mg/L and SAA 474 mg/L. In an attempt to identify the source of his inflammatory response, he underwent a contrast-enhanced whole-body computed tomography scan, which revealed a necrotising mass lesion in the right kidney consistent with a renal cell carcinoma. It also showed non-mechanical obstruction of the small bowel and, immediately post-imaging, the patient developed intractable vomiting followed by oliguric renal failure requiring haemodialysis. Despite his renal and gut failure, he underwent right radical nephrectomy without further complications. Histology showed complete resection of a clear cell renal cell carcinoma and renal amyloid deposits. Post-surgery, his acute-phase response decreased to normal, consistent with the renal cell carcinoma acting as the inflammatory stimulus. Although he remains dialysis dependent, his gut function improved and he has regained both normal weight and serum albumin. Our case demonstrates partial resolution of AA amyloidosis with removal of the inflammatory source.

A proposed histopathologic classification, scoring, and grading system for renal amyloidosis: standardization of renal amyloid biopsy report

CONTEXT

A disease associated with amyloid deposits, called amyloidosis, is associated with characteristic electron microscopic appearance, typical x-ray pattern, and specific staining. Renal involvement mainly occurs in AA amyloidosis and AL amyloidosis and usually progresses to renal failure.

OBJECTIVE

The renal histopathologic changes with amyloidosis comprise a spectrum. Clear relationships between the extent of amyloid deposition and the severity of clinical manifestations have not been demonstrated. Whether there is a lack of clinicopathologic correlation is not clear, but studies have revealed the need for standardization of the renal amyloid biopsy report. With these objectives in mind, we proposed a histopathologic classification, scoring, and grading system. Renal amyloidosis was divided into 6 classes, similar to the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus. Amyloid depositions and other histopathologic lesions were scored. The sum of these scores was termed the renal amyloid prognostic score and was divided into 3 grades.

DATA SOURCES

AA amyloidosis was detected in 90% of cases, mostly related to familial Mediterranean fever. Positive correlations between class I and grade I, class VI and grade III, and class III and grade II were observed. Also, a positive correlation was identified between severity of glomerular amyloid depositions, interstitial fibrosis, and inflammation. Because of the inadequacy of the patients' records and outcomes, different therapy regimes, and etiologies, clinical validation of this study has not been completed.

CONCLUSIONS

Standardization of the renal amyloid pathology report might be critical for patients' medication and comparison of outcome and therapeutic trials between different clinics. Because of our AA to AL amyloidosis ratio and the predisposition of familial Mediterranean fever-related AA amyloidosis, there is a need for further international collaborative studies.

Clinical strategies for amyloid A amyloidosis secondary to rheumatoid arthritis

Secondary amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis is an important complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and has remarkable variation in frequency worldwide. It is a serious, potentially life-threatening disorder caused by deposition in organs of AA fibrils, which are derived from the circulatory, acute-phase-reactant, serum amyloid A protein (SAA). The SAA1.3 allele can serve not only as a risk factor for the association of AA amyloidosis but also as a poor prognostic factor in Japanese RA patients. Both the association of AA amyloidosis arising early in RA disease course and symptomatic variety and severity were found in amyloidotic patients carrying the SAA1.3 allele. Etanercept for patients with AA amyloidosis who carry the SAA1.3 allele showed the amelioration of rheumatoid inflammation, including marked reduction of SAA and improvement of renal function. In light of the SAA1.3 allele significance in Japanese RA patients, both a tight control by disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and an early intervention of biologics for RA inflammation should be applied to suppress acute-phase response, thus preventing the association of AA amyloidosis. It is suggested that SAA plays not only an important role in the development of AA amyloidosis but also interacts with events closely involved in metabolic syndrome as a high- and low-grade inflammatory modulator, respectively.

Amyloidosis-associated kidney disease

The amyloidoses are a group of disorders in which soluble proteins aggregate and deposit extracellularly in tissues as insoluble fibrils, causing progressive organ dysfunction. The kidney is one of the most frequent sites of amyloid deposition in AL, AA, and several of the hereditary amyloidoses. Amyloid fibril formation begins with the misfolding of an amyloidogenic precursor protein. The misfolded variants self-aggregate in a highly ordered manner, generating protofilaments that interact to form fibrils. The fibrils have a characteristic appearance by electron microscopy and generate birefringence under polarized light when stained with Congo red dye. Advances in elucidating the mechanisms of amyloid fibril formation, tissue deposition, and tissue injury have led to new and more aggressive treatment approaches for these disorders. This article reviews the pathogenesis, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, and treatment of the amyloidoses, focusing heavily on the renal aspects of each of these areas.

AA amyloidosis in psoriatic arthritis

BACKGROUND

Amyloidosis is an extremely rare complication of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and is associated with a poor prognosis. We report a case of amyloidosis secondary to severe PsA in a young patient and the course of his disease over a 13-year period of aggressive immunosuppression.

METHODS

Diagnosis of renal amyloidosis was made on biopsy: multi-agent immunosuppressive therapy was continued with stabilisation of renal function.

RESULTS

Marked deterioration in renal function subsequently occurred following a reduction in cyclosporin A (CyA) dose and repeat biopsy confirmed worsening amyloidosis.

CONCLUSION

This case report emphasises the need for aggressive control of the inflammatory response in secondary amyloidosis.

Musculoskeletal disorders in secondary amyloidosis and hereditary fevers

Amyloidosis remains a severe potential complication of many chronic inflammatory disorders, foremost of rheumatoid arthritis. It is not exactly known why some patients develop a progressive amyloidosis while others do not, although latent deposits may be present. It is likely that more potent anti-inflammatory drugs recently used in rheumatoid arthritis have led to a decrease of amyloid-associated (AA) amyloidosis. However, overt amyloidosis remains a severe complication of some chronic inflammatory disorders and it has a poor prognosis. Hereditary fevers are a group of diseases characterized by intermittent bouts of clinical inflammation with focal organ involvement, mainly abdomen, musculoskeletal system and skin. The most frequent is familial Mediterranean fever which affects patients of Mediterranean descent all over the world. Three other types have been recently characterized clinically as well as genetically. A thorough diagnosis is warranted, as clinical and therapeutic management is specific for each of these diseases.