title: Prevalence of amyloid deposition in long standing rheumatoid arthritis in Iranian patients by abdominal subcutaneous fat biopsy and assessment of clinical and laboratory characteristics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The study was aimed at determining the prevalence of secondary amyloidosis in a group of Iranian patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and the assessment of its correlation with the clinical and laboratory findings and data.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total number of 220 patients (167 female and 53 male) with a minimum five-year history of RA were selected. Congo red staining method was used for staining the specimens obtained by abdominal subcutaneous fat biopsy (ASFB) method. All of the specimens were examined for apple-green birefringence under polarized light microscope. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients were assessed. Chi-square test and unpaired student's t-test were run for intergroup comparisons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Amyloid deposition test yielded positive results in 15 out of the 220 cases (6.8%) examined by the ASFB technique. Thirteen patients were found to have minimal amyloid deposits. Of all the clinically significant cases, 8 (53%) presented with proteinuria, and 7 cases (46.6%) had severe constipation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of fat amyloid deposits in Iranian patients with RA is low. In up to half of the study group the deposits were subclinical. Follow up studies are required to determine whether this subclinical amyloidosis can develop into full-blown clinically significant amyloidosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ghalishiri@yahoo.com
authors.forename: G Hussein
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Alishiri
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salimzadeh
authors.forename: Mohammad Bagher
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Owlia
authors.forename: Jafar
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Forghanizadeh
authors.forename: Roya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Setarehshenas
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shayanfar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D001706:Biopsy; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000209:etiology*; D050507:Subcutaneous Fat, Abdominal / Q000473:pathology*