Familial primary disseminated amyloidosis (a new clinical form?)

This report concerns two siblings we observed, one male the other female, who presented with primary disseminated amyloidosis. Repeated blood and urine examinations failed to demonstrate dysglobulinaemia. The brother developed, at the age of 51, extensive cutaneous amyloidosis with xanthochromia of the entire upper part of his body. His dermis contained a potassium permanganate-resistant amyloid substance. One year later, he presented with amyloid cardiomyopathy confirmed by biopsy. Owing to the intractable cardiac failure, heart transplantation was performed, but the patient died post-operatively. At autopsy, amyloid deposits were found to be present in the heart, liver, spleen and adrenal glands. His sister developed, at the age of 40, cutaneous amyloidosis in the form of yellowish and purpuric papules and plaques disseminated over the upper part of her body. Histological examination and electron microscopy of the skin showed large potassium permanganate-resistant amyloid deposits. In addition, endoscopy and histology demonstrated the presence of amyloid substance deposits in her larynx, oesophagus and rectum. Echocardiography revealed amyloid cardiomyopathy. She now has moderate cardiac failure, and heart transplantation is being contemplated. Like her brother, she has no renal of neurological amyloid lesions. There is no abnormality of serum or urinary globulins, and her SAA protein is present in normal concentrations. These cases do not fit in with the known nosological framework of amyloidosis. Clinically, both patients had disseminated amyloidosis of the AL type, and their disease clearly differed from familial systemic amyloidosis with neuropathy or nephropathy. To our knowledge, no case of familial primary amyloidosis of the AL type without dysglobulinaemia has yet been reported.