The impact of COVID-19 in the management of AL amyloidosis and Immunoglobulin Deposition Disease: A single-center experience

COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination and Its Relation to Amyloidosis: What Do We Know Currently?

Amyloidosis is a complex disorder characterized by deposited insoluble fibrillar proteins which misfold into β-pleated sheets. The pathogenesis of amyloidosis can vary but can be the result of immune dysregulation that occurs from sustained high inflammatory states, often known as AA amyloidosis. Multi-organ involvement including hepatic, gastrointestinal, renal, cardiac and immunological pathological manifestations has been observed amongst individuals presenting with amyloidosis. The recent global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, also referred to as coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), has been shown to be associated with multiple health complications, many of which are similar to those seen in amyloidosis. Though COVID-19 is recognized primarily as a respiratory disease, it has since been found to have a range of extra-pulmonary manifestations, many of which are observed in patients with amyloidosis. These include features of oxidative stress, chronic inflammation and thrombotic risks. It is well known that viral illnesses have been associated with the triggering of autoimmune conditions of which amyloidosis is no different. Over the recent months, reports of new-onset and relapsed disease following COVID-19 infection and vaccination have been published. Despite this, the exact pathophysiological associations of COVID-19 and amyloidosis remain unclear. We present a scoping review based on our systematic search of available evidence relating to amyloidosis, COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 vaccination, evaluating current perspectives and providing insight into knowledge gaps that still needs to be addressed going forward.

State-of-the-art review on AL amyloidosis in Western Countries: Epidemiology, health economics, risk assessment and therapeutic management of a rare disease

Amyloidosis is the term to define a broad array of rare protein misfolding syndromes. Among them, light chain (AL) amyloidosis is the most common, affecting roughly 10 people per million/year. The core purpose of the present literature review is to shed light on the academic and clinical knowledge on the condition, encompassing its i) epidemiology, ii) economic burden, and iii) quality of life consequences. The areas of interest are Europe and North America. Literature search was primarily performed on Embase® and finally integrated with additional, deemed eligible, sources. Pre-defined PICOS criteria were employed for the inclusion and exclusion processes. A total of 64 studies were comprehensively included in the current literature review as compliant with the inclusion criteria. The results were presented according to the outcomes of interest and eventually triangulated and compared to available literature studies. A broad picture on the main aspects of AL amyloidosis is delivered.

Understanding real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in AL amyloidosis patients diagnosed in Canada: A population-based cohort study

Amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare and chronic bone marrow disorder. Existing claims data can be used to help understand the real-world treatment patterns and outcomes of this patient population. Various population-based administrative databases in Alberta, Canada were queried from 2010 to mid-2019 to identify cases of AL amyloidosis. Baseline patient and disease characteristics, sequencing of pharmacologic therapies, overall survival, and healthcare resource utilization were evaluated. A total of 215 individuals with AL amyloidosis were included. Among patients diagnosed between 2012 and 2019, 149 (85.1%) initiated first-line, 67 (38.3%) initiated second-line, 22 (12.6%) initiated third-line, and 11 (6.3%) initiated fourth-line systemic therapy. In the first-line setting, 99/149 (66.4%) received bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (CyBorD) and 21/149 (14.1%) received another bortezomib-based regimen. Survival from time of diagnosis improved over time, with a median overall survival of 25.8 months (95% CI: 9.8, 57.1) for individuals diagnosed in 2010-2011 versus 52.1 months (95% CI: 25.6, NA) for those diagnosed in 2012-2019. Despite this improvement, the proportion of individuals diagnosed in 2012-2019 who survived beyond five-years remained low (5-year survival: 48.4%; 95% CI: 40.9, 57.2) which highlights an unmet need for more efficacious therapies.