Made by DATEXIS (Data Science and Text-based Information Systems) at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Deep Learning Technology: Sebastian Arnold, Betty van Aken, Paul Grundmann, Felix A. Gers and Alexander Löser. Learning Contextualized Document Representations for Healthcare Answer Retrieval. The Web Conference 2020 (WWW'20)
          Funded by The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; Grant: 01MD19013D, Smart-MD Project, Digital Technologies
           
        
Based on studies conducted in the United States, the prognosis for individuals with ALECT2 amyloidosis is guarded, particularly because they are elderly and their kidney disease is usually well-advanced at the time of presentation. End-stage renal disease develops in 1 out of 3 patients and has a median renal survival of 62 months. A suggested prognostic tool is to track creatinine levels in ALect2 patients. The attached Figure gives survival plotss for individuals with LECT2 renal amyloidosis and serum creatinine levels less than 2 mg/100 ml versus 2 mg/100 ml or greater than 2 mg/100 ml. The results show that afflicted individuals with lower creatinine levels have a ~four-fold higher survival rate.
Primary cutaneous amyloidosis is a form of amyloidosis associated with oncostatin M receptor. This type of amyloidosis has been divided into the following types:
- Macular amyloidosis is a cutaneous condition characterized by itchy, brown, rippled macules usually located on the interscapular region of the back. Combined cases of lichen and macular amyloidosis are termed biphasic amyloidosis, and provide support to the theory that these two variants of amyloidosis exist on the same disease spectrum.
- Lichen amyloidosis is a cutaneous condition characterized by the appearance of occasionally itchy lichenoid papules, typically appearing bilaterally on the shins.
- Nodular amyloidosis is a rare cutaneous condition characterized by nodules that involve the acral areas.
In longstanding scarred lesions, squamous cell carcinoma can develop.
Diagnosis of amyloidosis requires tissue biopsy. The biopsy is assessed for evidence of characteristic amyloid deposits. The tissue is treated with various stains. The most useful stain in the diagnosis of amyloid is Congo red, which, combined with polarized light, makes the amyloid proteins appear apple-green on microscopy. Also, thioflavin T stain may be used.
Tissue can come from any involved organ, but in systemic disease the first-line site of the biopsy is subcutaneous abdominal fat, known as a "fat pad biopsy," due to its ease of acquisition versus biopsy of the rectum, salivary gland or internal organs. An abdominal fat biopsy is not completely sensitive, and sometimes, biopsy of an involved organ (such as the kidney) is required to achieve a diagnosis. For example, in AL amyloidosis only 85% of people will have a positive fatpad biopsy using Congo red stain. By comparison, rectal biopsy has sensitivity of 74–94%.
The type of the amyloid protein can be determined in various ways: the detection of abnormal proteins in the bloodstream (on protein electrophoresis or light chain determination); binding of particular antibodies to the amyloid found in the tissue (immunohistochemistry); or extraction of the protein and identification of its individual amino acids. Immunohistochemistry can identify AA amyloidosis the majority of the time, but can miss many cases of AL amyloidosis. Laser microdissection with mass spectrometry is the most reliable method of identifying the different forms of amyloidosis.
AL is the most common form of amyloidosis, and a diagnosis often begins with a search for plasma cell dyscrasia, memory B cells producing aberrant immunoglobulins or portions of immunoglobulins. Immunofixation electrophoresis of urine or serum is positive in 90% of people with AL amyloidosis. Immunofixation electrophoresis is more sensitive than regular electrophoresis but may not be available in all centers. Alternatively immunohistochemical staining of a bone marrow biopsy looking for dominant plasma cells can be sought in people with a high clinical suspicion for AL amyloidosis but negative electrophoresis.
ATTR, or familial transthyretin-associated amyloidosis, is suspected in people with family history of idiopathic neuropathies or heart failure who lack evidence of plasma cell dyscrasias. ATTR can be identified using isoelectric focusing which separates mutated forms of transthyretin. Findings can be corroborated by genetic testing to look for specific known mutations in transthyretin that predispose to amyloidosis.
AA is suspected on clinical grounds in individuals with longstanding infections or inflammatory diseases. AA can be identified by immunohistochemistry staining.
There has too little experience on the treatment of LECT2 amyloidosis to establish recommendations other than offering methods to support kidney function and dialysis. Nonetheless, it is important to accurately diagnose ALECT2-based amyloid disease in order to avoid treatment for other forms of amyloidosis.
Both blood and the urine can be tested for the light chains, which may form amyloid deposits, causing disease. However, the diagnosis requires a sample of an affected organ.
Median survival for patients diagnosed with AL amyloidosis was 13 months in the early 1990s, but had improved to c. 40 months a decade later.
A dermatologist or general physician usually administers combination therapy of drugs used for tuberculosis, such as Rifampicin, Isoniazid and Pyrazinamide (possibly with either streptomycin or ethambutol).
Primary systemic amyloidosis (AL amyloidosis or just primary amyloidosis) is a disease that involves the mesenchymal tissue, the tongue, heart, gastrointestinal tract, and skin.
Because CAPS is extremely rare and has a broad clinical presentation, it is difficult to diagnose, and a significant delay exists between symptom onset and definitive diagnosis. There are currently no clinical or diagnostic criteria for CAPS based solely on clinical presentation. Instead, diagnosis is made by genetic testing for "NLRP3" mutations. Acute phase reactants and white blood cell count are usually persistently elevated, but this is aspecific for CAPS.
Treatment is by excisional biopsy, wide local excision and possibly sentinel node biopsy. Spread of disease to local lymph nodes or distant sites (typically brain, bone, skin and lung) marks a decidedly poor prognosis.
Prognosis varies with the type of amyloidosis. Prognosis for untreated AL amyloidosis is poor with median survival of one to two years. More specifically, AL amyloidosis can be classified as stage I, II or III based on cardiac biomarkers like troponin and BNP. Survival diminishes with increasing stage, with estimated survival of 26, 11 and 3.5 months at stages I, II and III, respectively.
Outcomes in a person with AA amyloidosis depend on the underlying disease and correlate with the concentration of serum amyloid A protein.
People with ATTR have better prognosis and may survive for over a decade.
Senile systemic amyloidosis was determined to be the primary cause of death for 70% of people over 110 who have been autopsied.
Secondary cutaneous amyloidosis is a skin condition that occurs following PUVA therapy and in benign and malignant cutaneous neoplasms in which deopsits of amyloid may be found.
Weber–Christian disease, also known as relapsing febrile nodular nonsuppurative panniculitis, is a cutaneous condition characterized by recurrent subcutaneous nodules that heal with depression of the overlying skin.
It is type of panniculitis.
It is a rare disease seen in females 30–60 years of age. It is a recurring inflammation of fatty layers of tissue present beneath the skin. Clinical course is characterised by exacerbations and remissions. Lesions are bilaterally symmetrical and are usually seen in the lower legs.
Heredofamilial amyloidosis is an inherited condition that may be characterized by systemic or localized deposition of amyloid in body tissues.
Jessner lymphocytic infiltrate of the skin is a cutaneous condition characterized by a persistent papular and plaque-like skin eruption which can occur on the neck, face and back and may re-occur. This is an uncommon skin disease and is a benign collection of lymph cells. Its cause is not known and can be hereditary. It is named for Max Jessner. It is thought to be equivalent to lupus erythematosus tumidus.
It can occur as the result of ACE inhibitors and a number of medications used to treat multiple sclerosis including glatiramer acetate.
Due to the rarity of different types of vascular conditions, angiokeratomas may be misdiagnosed. A biopsy of the lesion can produce a more accurate diagnosis.
Progressive nodular histiocytoma is a cutaneous condition characterized by generalized, discrete yellow papules and nodules with prominent facial involvement.
Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency panniculitis is a panniculitis associated with a deficiency of the α-antitrypsin enzyme.
Nodular lichen myxedematosus is a cutaneous condition characterized by multiple nodules on the limbs and trunk, with a mild or absent papular component.
Erythema nodosum is a form of panniculitis characterised by tender red nodules, 1–10 cm, associated with systemic symptoms including fever, malaise, and joint pain. Nodules may become bluish-purple, yellowing, and green, and subside over a period of 2–6 weeks without ulcerating or scarring. Erythema nodosum is associated with infections, including Hepatitis C, EBV and tuberculosis, Crohn's disease and sarcoidosis, pregnancy, medications including sulfonamides, and some cancers, including Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and pancreatic cancer.
Angiokeratoma may be classified as:
- "Angiokeratoma of Mibelli" (also known as "Mibelli's angiokeratoma," "Telangiectatic warts") consists of 1- to 5-mm red vascular papules, the surfaces of which become hyperkeratotic in the course of time. The disease is named after Italian dermatologist Vittorio Mibelli (1860-1910).
- "Angiokeratoma of Fordyce" (also known as "Angiokeratoma of the scrotum and vulva," though not to be confused with Fordyce's spots) is a skin condition characterized by red to blue papules on the scrotum or vulva.
- "Solitary angiokeratoma" is a small, bluish-black, warty papule that occurs predominantly on the lower extremities.
- "Verrucous vascular malformation" (also known as "Angiokeratoma circumscriptum naeviforme") is a malformation of dermal and subcutaneous capillaries and veins, a congenital vascular malformation, which, over time, a verrucous component appears.
Cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia refers to a groups of benign cutaneous disorders characterized by collections of lymphocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells in the skin. Conditions included in this groups are:
- Cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia with nodular pattern, a condition of the skin characterized by a solitary or localized cluster of asymptomatic erythematous to violaceous papules or nodules
- Cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia with bandlike and perivascular patterns, a condition of the skin characterized by skin lesions that clinically resemble mycosis fungoides
The condition is suspected in an elderly person, especially male, presenting with symptoms of heart failure such as shortness of breath or swollen legs, and or disease of the electrical system of the heart with ensuing slow heart rate, dizziness or fainting spells. The diagnosis is confirmed on the basis of a biopsy, which can be treated with a special stain called Congo Red that will be positive in this condition, and immunohistochemistry.
Lichen planus has a unique microscopic appearance that is similar between cutaneous, mucosal and oral. A Periodic acid-Schiff stain of the biopsy may be used to visualise the specimen. Histological features seen include:
- thickening of the stratum corneum both with nuclei present (parakeratosis) and without (orthokeratosis). Parakeratosis is more common in oral variants of lichen planus.
- thickening of the stratum granulosum
- thickening of the stratum spinosum (acanthosis) with formation of colloid bodies (also known as Civatte bodies, Sabouraud bodies) that may stretch down to the lamina propria.
- liquefactive degeneration of the stratum basale, with separation from the underlying lamina propria, as a result of desmosome loss, creating small spaces (Max Joseph spaces).
- Infiltration of T cells in a band-like pattern into the dermis "hugging" the basal layer.
- Development of a "saw-tooth" appearance of the rete pegs, which is much more common in non-oral forms of lichen planus.