title: Gastrointestinal amyloidosis in Australian indigenous patients.
abstract: This study documents the symptoms, racial distribution, pathological findings and outcomes of patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal amyloidosis in Alice Springs Hospital. In a 4 year retrospective survey. 9 patients, all indigenous, 7F/2M, had biopsy proven gastrointestinal amyloidosis. Four out of four patients tested were found to have AA amyloidosis. Presenting symptoms included diarrhoea, bloody in some, vomiting and abdominal pain. All but one had diabetes mellitus, type 2. Multiple infections were common and most patients had low serum albumin and transferrin concentrations but high serum ferritin concentrations. Five of the patients died, and the gastrointestinal symptoms of the remaining 4 remitted. Gastrointestinal amyloidosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of indigenous patients presenting with chronic diarrhoea, vomiting or abdominal pain. It carries a grave prognosis, is probably secondary to chronic infections but is potentially reversible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Alice Springs Hospital, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Frommer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pawar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goud
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000208:ethnology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000208:ethnology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology; D015897:Comorbidity; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000208:ethnology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000208:ethnology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D034141:Hypoalbuminemia / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015876:Northern Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000208:ethnology; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein / Q000032:analysis; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein; D014168:Transferrin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D005293:Ferritins
keywords: amyloidosis; indigenous; pathology; prognosis; symptom