Post by the Scribe on Nov 11, 2020 7:39:45 GMT
Amyloidosis: What It Is, What Causes It, and How Rare This Condition Is
www.everydayhealth.com/amyloidosis/
By Markham Heid
Medically Reviewed by Kaylan Banda, MD
Last Updated: December 4, 2018
* www.webmd.com/cancer/lymphoma/amyloidosis-symptoms-causes-treatments#1
* www.cancer.net/cancer-types/amyloidosis
The first thing to understand about amyloidosis is that it’s not a single disease, but several diseases. Just as the word “cancer” refers to a group of diseases, amyloidosis is the name for a group of diseases, too. In amyloidosis, each type is caused by the abnormal production of protein. (1) But all types of amyloidosis are very rare.
Protein molecules are the human body’s building blocks. Every cell in your body contains protein molecules. They make up the walls and other support structures of your body’s cells. Depending on the way these protein molecules assemble, they can form muscle, bone, ligaments, tendons, or tissue. They can also act as transporter proteins that carry different nutrients or chemicals around your body via your blood. (1)
In some instances, the body produces an abnormal protein called amyloid, which can accumulate over time. And when enough of this amyloid builds up — either in one part of the body or in several places at once — the resulting symptoms and medical issues are known collectively as amyloidosis. (2)
“To understand amyloid, you have to understand that everything your body produces is normally biodegradable and recyclable,” says Morie Gertz, MD, an amyloidosis expert and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic. “Amyloid is what happens when protein loses the ability to be degraded.”
That happens because the protein molecules “misfold” and form a chemical structure that the body can’t break apart, Dr. Gertz says.
Like that big island of floating plastic in the Pacific Ocean that keeps getting bigger and bigger, the amyloid your body can’t break apart continues to accumulate, and eventually this causes health issues.
Collectively, the different types of amyloidosis affect about 200,000 Americans, according to current estimates from the National Institutes of Health. (2) While some experts who study the disease believe those government estimates may be way too low, they agree that amyloidosis is a rare disease.
There are roughly 30 varieties of protein that experts have linked with the production of amyloid and that can therefore cause amyloidosis, says Raymond Comenzo, MD, a professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and the director of the school’s John C. Davis Myeloma and Amyloid Program.
But some types of protein are more likely than others to develop abnormalities. These protein types are involved in the most common types of amyloidosis.
more www.everydayhealth.com/amyloidosis/
Amyloidosis Awareness
CartoonMedicine
771 subscribers
To turn on captions or subtitles, click the "CC" button in the lower-right of the video player's toolbar. To choose a language*, click on the gear selection icon (⚙) next to the "CC" button; then select the language you would like to display as captions or subtitles.
This short educational video is for patients & caregivers. It is meant to promote better understanding of a rare, under-diagnosed condition called amyloidosis. The hope is to encourage early & precise diagnosis, improved treatments, and positive outcomes. Please visit www.AmyloidAware.com
for more in-depth info.
Thank you, as well, for "liking" and sharing this video. It helps to broaden the video's educational outreach, in connecting with more families and providers.
* 15 languages available: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, German, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Hindi, and Korean.
Special Thanks: Amyloidosis Support Groups, www.AmyloidosisSupport.org
. For questions about this video, please write: cartoonmedicine@gmail.com
www.everydayhealth.com/amyloidosis/
By Markham Heid
Medically Reviewed by Kaylan Banda, MD
Last Updated: December 4, 2018
* www.webmd.com/cancer/lymphoma/amyloidosis-symptoms-causes-treatments#1
* www.cancer.net/cancer-types/amyloidosis
The first thing to understand about amyloidosis is that it’s not a single disease, but several diseases. Just as the word “cancer” refers to a group of diseases, amyloidosis is the name for a group of diseases, too. In amyloidosis, each type is caused by the abnormal production of protein. (1) But all types of amyloidosis are very rare.
Protein molecules are the human body’s building blocks. Every cell in your body contains protein molecules. They make up the walls and other support structures of your body’s cells. Depending on the way these protein molecules assemble, they can form muscle, bone, ligaments, tendons, or tissue. They can also act as transporter proteins that carry different nutrients or chemicals around your body via your blood. (1)
In some instances, the body produces an abnormal protein called amyloid, which can accumulate over time. And when enough of this amyloid builds up — either in one part of the body or in several places at once — the resulting symptoms and medical issues are known collectively as amyloidosis. (2)
“To understand amyloid, you have to understand that everything your body produces is normally biodegradable and recyclable,” says Morie Gertz, MD, an amyloidosis expert and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic. “Amyloid is what happens when protein loses the ability to be degraded.”
That happens because the protein molecules “misfold” and form a chemical structure that the body can’t break apart, Dr. Gertz says.
Like that big island of floating plastic in the Pacific Ocean that keeps getting bigger and bigger, the amyloid your body can’t break apart continues to accumulate, and eventually this causes health issues.
Collectively, the different types of amyloidosis affect about 200,000 Americans, according to current estimates from the National Institutes of Health. (2) While some experts who study the disease believe those government estimates may be way too low, they agree that amyloidosis is a rare disease.
There are roughly 30 varieties of protein that experts have linked with the production of amyloid and that can therefore cause amyloidosis, says Raymond Comenzo, MD, a professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and the director of the school’s John C. Davis Myeloma and Amyloid Program.
But some types of protein are more likely than others to develop abnormalities. These protein types are involved in the most common types of amyloidosis.
more www.everydayhealth.com/amyloidosis/
Amyloidosis Awareness
CartoonMedicine
771 subscribers
To turn on captions or subtitles, click the "CC" button in the lower-right of the video player's toolbar. To choose a language*, click on the gear selection icon (⚙) next to the "CC" button; then select the language you would like to display as captions or subtitles.
This short educational video is for patients & caregivers. It is meant to promote better understanding of a rare, under-diagnosed condition called amyloidosis. The hope is to encourage early & precise diagnosis, improved treatments, and positive outcomes. Please visit www.AmyloidAware.com
for more in-depth info.
Thank you, as well, for "liking" and sharing this video. It helps to broaden the video's educational outreach, in connecting with more families and providers.
* 15 languages available: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, German, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Hindi, and Korean.
Special Thanks: Amyloidosis Support Groups, www.AmyloidosisSupport.org
. For questions about this video, please write: cartoonmedicine@gmail.com
Amyloidosis
www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/amyloidosis
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Almost 70 percent of people with amyloidosis are men.
Some forms of amyloidosis are more likely to strike people living with infections or other conditions that cause chronic inflammation.
People receiving long-term kidney dialysis are at risk for developing one type of amyloidosis, but modern dialysis techniques are making this less likely.
Amyloidosis can exist on its own, or it can be related to another problem.
There are different types of amyloidosis, and some are hereditary.
ALSO: www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/other-kidney-conditions/rare-diseases/amyloidosis/
Amyloidosis
Home > Kidney Disease > Other Kidney Conditions > Rare diseases > Amyloidosis
Amyloidosis (am-il-oyd-OH-sis) causes proteins called amyloids to build up and form clumps inside your organs and tissues, causing damage. These clumps can form in the kidneys, heart, brain, liver, and intestines. There are two types of amyloidosis that often affect the kidneys: Primary amyloidosis and dialysis-related amyloidosis. Primary amyloidosis can cause kidney disease, and dialysis-related amyloidosis can happen by being on dialysis for a long time.
The two types of amyloidosis that often affect the kidneys are called primary amyloidosis and dialysis-related amyloidosis. Doctors and researchers are not sure what causes primary amyloidosis. Dialysis-related amyloidosis happens to people who have kidney failure and have been on dialysis for a long time. Dialysis does a good job cleaning your blood, but it does not work as well as healthy kidneys. It cannot remove all of a protein called beta-2-microglobulin, so this protein builds up in the blood and forms clumps in organs and tissues.
The most common sign of primary amyloidosis is nephrotic syndrome, which is a group of symptoms that includes:
www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/other-kidney-conditions/nephrotic-syndrome.html
Protein in the urine www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/kidney-problems/protein-in-urine-old.html
High levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood
Swelling www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/complications/
Low levels of protein in the blood
The most common symptoms of dialysis-related amyloidosis are:
Joint pain and stiffness
Cysts (fluid-filled sacs) in bones
Numbness or tingling in hands and fingers
If your doctor thinks you might have primary amyloidosis, you might need to have blood and urine tests and a kidney biopsy. If your doctor thinks you might have dialysis-related amyloidosis, you may need blood and urine tests , as well as imaging tests, such as X-rays and CT scans.
www.kidneyfund.org/prevention/tests-for-kidney-health/
Both primary and dialysis-related amyloidosis can be treated. Primary amyloidosis can be treated using medicine called chemotherapy. It can also be treated by having a stem cell transplant. Other treatment can help you manage the side effects of primary amyloidosis. Dialysis-related amyloidosis can be treated using medicine, better hemodialysis filters, surgery or a kidney transplant.
More information about primary and dialysis-related amyloidosis is available from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/kidney-disease/amyloidosis-and-kidney-disease/Pages/facts.aspx
www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/amyloidosis
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Almost 70 percent of people with amyloidosis are men.
Some forms of amyloidosis are more likely to strike people living with infections or other conditions that cause chronic inflammation.
People receiving long-term kidney dialysis are at risk for developing one type of amyloidosis, but modern dialysis techniques are making this less likely.
Amyloidosis can exist on its own, or it can be related to another problem.
There are different types of amyloidosis, and some are hereditary.
ALSO: www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/other-kidney-conditions/rare-diseases/amyloidosis/
Amyloidosis
Home > Kidney Disease > Other Kidney Conditions > Rare diseases > Amyloidosis
Amyloidosis (am-il-oyd-OH-sis) causes proteins called amyloids to build up and form clumps inside your organs and tissues, causing damage. These clumps can form in the kidneys, heart, brain, liver, and intestines. There are two types of amyloidosis that often affect the kidneys: Primary amyloidosis and dialysis-related amyloidosis. Primary amyloidosis can cause kidney disease, and dialysis-related amyloidosis can happen by being on dialysis for a long time.
The two types of amyloidosis that often affect the kidneys are called primary amyloidosis and dialysis-related amyloidosis. Doctors and researchers are not sure what causes primary amyloidosis. Dialysis-related amyloidosis happens to people who have kidney failure and have been on dialysis for a long time. Dialysis does a good job cleaning your blood, but it does not work as well as healthy kidneys. It cannot remove all of a protein called beta-2-microglobulin, so this protein builds up in the blood and forms clumps in organs and tissues.
The most common sign of primary amyloidosis is nephrotic syndrome, which is a group of symptoms that includes:
www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/other-kidney-conditions/nephrotic-syndrome.html
Protein in the urine www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/kidney-problems/protein-in-urine-old.html
High levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood
Swelling www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/complications/
Low levels of protein in the blood
The most common symptoms of dialysis-related amyloidosis are:
Joint pain and stiffness
Cysts (fluid-filled sacs) in bones
Numbness or tingling in hands and fingers
If your doctor thinks you might have primary amyloidosis, you might need to have blood and urine tests and a kidney biopsy. If your doctor thinks you might have dialysis-related amyloidosis, you may need blood and urine tests , as well as imaging tests, such as X-rays and CT scans.
www.kidneyfund.org/prevention/tests-for-kidney-health/
Both primary and dialysis-related amyloidosis can be treated. Primary amyloidosis can be treated using medicine called chemotherapy. It can also be treated by having a stem cell transplant. Other treatment can help you manage the side effects of primary amyloidosis. Dialysis-related amyloidosis can be treated using medicine, better hemodialysis filters, surgery or a kidney transplant.
More information about primary and dialysis-related amyloidosis is available from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/kidney-disease/amyloidosis-and-kidney-disease/Pages/facts.aspx