SENILE SYSTEMIC AMYLOIDOSIS

Abstract

The senile amyloidoses comprise a heterogeneous group of disorders with deposition of amyloid in a variety of tissues. Most of these amyloidoses [in humans] are localized to 1 tissue. It was previously shown that the amyloid fibrils in 1 form of senile amyloidosis affecting the heart contains a prealbumin-related protein, ASc1. It was shown by immunohistochemical study using a specific anti-protein ASc1 antiserum that this type of amyloidosis, previously called senile cardiac amyloidosis, is a systemic disease with amyloid deposits in many organs. The designation senile systemic amyloidosis was prosed for this disease, which differs from other systemic amyloidoses in distribution of amyloid deposits.