Primary systemic amyloidosis with giant hepatomegaly and a swiftly progressive course

Amyloidosis and gastric bleeding in a patient with Gaucher disease

GOALS

To describe the clinical course of a patient with Gaucher disease who subsequently developed amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND

We present a case of a splenectomized patient with Gaucher disease who developed portal hypertension secondary to an enlarged, cirrhotic-like liver, and recurrent life-threatening upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

STUDY

Despite repeated diagnostic biopsies, amyloidosis was only ascertained after death.

RESULTS

Albeit very rare, there are four other similar cases in the literature, but unlike these previous reports of concurrence of Gaucher disease and amyloidosis, in this patient the gastrointestinal symptoms were life-threatening but there was no evidence of gammopathy or renal disease. Also, this is the first patient who was treated with enzyme replacement therapy for 5 years prior to manifestation of amyloidosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Coexistence of apparently unrelated diseases with Gaucher disease demands a greater awareness of abnormalities at the biochemical and/or molecular level to adequately manage patients with Gaucher disease, regardless of concurrent enzyme replacement therapy.

[Cholestatic jaundice and constitutional syndrome as early manifestations of primary systemic amyloidosis]

We present the case of a 70-year-old woman who had been suffering from constitutional syndrome for several months, abdominal distension, and yellowish coloration of the skin for the previous few days with a rapidly fatal course. Examination revealed hepatomegaly and ascites. Laboratory investigations revealed hyperbilirubinemia with cholestasis. The remaining investigations (abdominal ultrasound, barium transit evaluation, bone marrow study, analysis of ascitic fluid and laparoscopy) did not establish the diagnosis. This was established by liver and subcutaneous fatty tissue biopsies, which revealed type AL amyloid deposits. Autopsy confirmed that the patient had primary systemic amyloidosis. This infrequent form of presentation of systemic amyloidosis and its poor prognosis are discussed.

Primary amyloidosis with spontaneous splenic rupture, cholestasis, and liver failure treated with emergency liver transplantation

A 61-yr-old man with cholestatic jaundice soon after presentation had an emergency operation because of spontaneous rupture of the spleen. This was found to be caused by primary systemic amyloidosis. After the splenectomy, the patient deteriorated with liver failure and was successfully treated with liver transplantation. Osteopenic fractures of the thoracic columna developed after transplantation. Except for this, the patient is well 18 months after transplantation.