title: [Causes and treatment of systemic amyloidosis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Systemic amyloidoses are rare protein deposition disorders, which are often diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease due to non-specific symptoms. Any chronic inflammatory disease can lead to an AA-type amyloidosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper summarizes the current state of the art of diagnosis and treatment of AA amyloidosis and presents data from the past 10 years of our amyloidosis center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our data represents an analysis of our cohort of patients with amyloidosis and a selective research in the PubMed database for AA amyloidosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The underlying diseases comprise autoinflammatory syndromes, polyarthritis, and chronic inflammatory bowel and lung diseases. Renal organ involvement is the most prevalent in AA amyloidosis. It can be detected early through the evaluation of proteinuria. The treatment depends on the individual underlying disease. Patients without an associated inflammatory disease are considered to have idiopathic AA amyloidosis and empiric treatment is mandatory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Survival of this fatal disease has recently improved due to the new diagnostic tools and treatment options; however, early diagnosis plays a crucial role in the prevention of end-stage renal failure. New therapeutic strategies aim to remove existing amyloid deposits.
authors.affiliation: Amyloidose-Zentrum, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland. norbert.blank@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Blank
authors.affiliation: Amyloidose-Zentrum, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hegenbart
authors.affiliation: Amyloidose-Zentrum, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schönland
mesh_terms: D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D001168:Arthritis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D056660:Hereditary Autoinflammatory Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D035583:Rare Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Amyloidosis; Biologic; Cytokine; Dialysis; Early diagnosis; Proteinuria