Amyloidosis in a renal transplant recipient: A diagnostic challenge - A case report

Abstract

Amyloidosis is an infiltrative disease where amyloid fibrils get deposited in the extracellular space. Inflammatory arthritis, chronic infections, and malignancies are some known etiologies. Liver is commonly involved in amyloidosis, more common in primary (AL) than secondary (AA) amyloidosis. It is a perplexing diagnosis as it usually presents with nonspecific symptoms and minimal laboratory derangements. In this study, the patient had ankylosing spondylitis as an existing risk factor, but renal cell carcinoma detected in the native kidneys after transplantation accelerated the liver decompensation. This case highlights the importance of excluding liver amyloidosis in patients of systemic amyloidosis as liver amyloidosis can be clinically silent pretransplantation.

Keywords

• amyloidosis
• hepatic amyloidosis
• renal cell carcinoma
• renal transplantation