RENAL AMYLOIDOSIS

Abstract

Renal amyloidosis, because of the signs and symptoms which it produces, lends itself to study more easily than does amyloidosis of almost any other abdominal organ. Consequently it has received more attention than similar involvement of other viscera. During eleven years we have studied 468 cases of amyloidosis of various degrees. In 12 instances complete gross and microscopic studies of the kidneys were not made. In 379 (83.1 per cent) of the remaining 456 cases examination of the kidneys revealed deposition of amyloid. ETIOLOGIC FACTORS In each of our cases an underlying disease was present to account for the development of amyloidosis, tuberculosis being the causative factor in all but 5 cases. The latter group included 4 cases of chronic bronchiectasis and 1 of syphilis. This distribution is consistent with the universally accepted statement that tuberculosis is the most frequent cause of amyloidosis. Table 1 reveals that pulmonary involvement with