Localized conjunctival amyloidosis.
We treated a patient with localized amyloidosis of the bulbar conjunctiva, which strongly resembled a neoplastic growth. Although the patient suffered from a long-standing, debilitating rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting the possibility of a secondary systemic amyloidosis caused by the chronic effusive process, no specific clinical evidence of systemic amyloidosis was noted. The ocular lesion was, therefore, classified as a primary localized amyloidosis. However, the simple recognition of amyloid in the ocular adnexa should not be considered a complete diagnosis. For such cases in which a prominent underlying systemic disease is present, a thorough medical evaluation and future follow-up should be ensured to rule out the possibility that this represents the initial manifestation of a potentially life-threatening secondary systemic amyloidosis caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
D000368:Aged; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D003228:Conjunctiva; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male