[A clinical analysis of 71 cases of amyloidosis].

Objective: To comprehend the clinical characteristics and treatment of amyloidosis.

Methods: The clinical data of 71 patients with amyloidosis, admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from February 1982 to February 2002, were analyzed.

Results: 57 of the 71 cases were systemic amyloidosis. Among the 57 cases, 33 were primary systemic amyloidosis, 22 secondary systemic amyloidosis and 2 familial amyloid polyneuropathy.The remaining 14 cases were localized amyloidosis.82% of the patients with systemic amyloidosis showed abnormalities in Doppler echocardiography. The positive rate of biopsy of subcutaneous fat and gingiva was 80.0% and 87.5% respectively. The treatment of systemic amyloidosis was chemotherapy, and that of localized amyloidosis was observation or localized excision. 15 systemic amyloidosis patients died during hospitalization, mainly due to congestive heart failure.

Conclusion: As treatment and prognosis are different between local and systemic amyloidosis, the distinction between them is very important. Biopsy of abdominal fat and gingival is a useful and safe procedure to identify patients with systemic disease. Doppler echocardiography examination is also helpful for the diagnosis.