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Gastroparesis: an under-recognised manifestation of systemic amyloidosis
  1. Khaled M Abdullah1,
  2. Anas Alsuraimi2,
  3. Suaka Kagbo-Kue3 and
  4. Marcelo Vela3
  1. 1Internal Medicine, University of California San Francisco, Fresno, California, USA
  2. 2Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, USA
  3. 3Gastroenterology Department, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Khaled M Abdullah; Kmabdullah{at}ucsf.edu

Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GI) amyloidosis can be acquired or genetic and is commonly caused by chronic inflammatory illnesses (AA amyloidosis), haematological malignancies (AL amyloidosis) and end-stage renal disease (beta-2 microglobulin amyloidosis). The accumulation of these aberrant proteins disrupts the structures and functions of many organs; the least common of which is the GI tract. GI presentations depend on the type, location and amount of amyloid deposition. Symptoms can range from nausea and vomiting to fatal GI bleeds. Pathological examination of the involved tissue with characteristic green birefringence under polarised light is used to confirm the diagnosis. Patients should be considered for further evaluation to rule out additional organ involvement, notably cardiac and renal. We present a patient with amyloidosis-induced gastroparesis, an under-recognised presentation of systemic amyloidosis in the gastroenterology system.

  • Gastroenterology
  • Endoscopy
  • Stomach and duodenum

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Footnotes

  • Contributors KMA contributed to conceptualisation, manuscript writing, literature review and revision. AA contributed to manuscript writing and reviewing. SK-K and MV contributed to revision of the final draft of the manuscript.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.