Cardiac Amyloidosis-Challenging Diagnosis and Unclear Clinical Picture
Sylwia Kozak,
Krzysztof Ulbrich,
Maciej Migacz,
Krzysztof Szydło,
Katarzyna Mizia-Stec,
Michał Holecki
Affiliations
Sylwia Kozak
Student Scientific Society at the Department of Internal, Autoimmune and Metabolic Diseases, School of Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Krzysztof Ulbrich
Student Scientific Society at the Department of Internal, Autoimmune and Metabolic Diseases, School of Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Maciej Migacz
Department of Internal, Autoimmune and Metabolic Diseases, School of Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Krzysztof Szydło
1st Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Katarzyna Mizia-Stec
1st Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Michał Holecki
Department of Internal, Autoimmune and Metabolic Diseases, School of Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a rare systemic disease determined by the extracellular deposition of amyloid protein in the heart. The protein can accumulate in any part of the heart: myocardium, vessels, endocardium, valves, epicardium and parietal pericardium. The types of CA include the following types: light chain (AL), amyloidosis AA (Amyloid A) and transthyretin (ATTR). The detection of specific subtypes remains of great importance to implement the targeted treatment. We present the case of a 65-year-old woman, who was admitted with severe deterioration of exercise capacity, a bilateral reduction of physiological vesicular murmur, ascites and edema of lower extremities. CA was suspected due to echocardiographic examination results, which led to further examination and final diagnosis. The aim of this study is to improve the disease awareness among clinicians and shorten the delay between the first symptoms and the diagnosis establishment resulting in a better outcome.
