Explained: What is Amyloidosis, the ailment afflicting ex-Pak President Pervez Musharraf?
james
4 min read
When the news about his death made a round on social media on Friday, the former President General Pervez Musharraf (retired) clarified that he was in serious condition after his health worsened in the last three weeks.
Explaining his condition, the Musharraf family, through a statement, said: “He did not use a ventilator. Has been hospitalized for the past 3 weeks due to complications of the disease (amyloidosis). Through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and organs are not functioning. Pray for the ease of daily life.
What is amyloidosis?
Amilloidosis is a rare disease that occurs when abnormal protein, called amyloid, is built in a person’s organs, affecting its shape and function. Amilloid deposits can accumulate in the heart, brain, kidney, spleen and other body parts, which lead to life -threatening conditions such as organ failure.
Amilloids are usually not found in the body, but can be formed from several types of protein. Some amyloidosis varieties occur in relation to other diseases. These types can improve with the treatment of underlying diseases. Some amyloidosis varieties can cause life -threatening organs.
Amilloidosis may be secondary from different health conditions or can develop as the main condition as well. Sometimes, it is due to mutations in genes, but usually, the cause of amyloidosis is still unknown.
Many different proteins can cause amyloid deposits, but only a few cause major health problems. Types of protein and where he gathering tells telling the type of amyloidosis that a person has. Amilloid deposits can be collected throughout a person’s body or only in one area.
In addition, while some varieties are offspring, others are caused by external factors, such as inflammatory diseases or long -term dialysis.
There are also different amyloidosis:
Amilloidosis Light chain (Al) is the most common type in developed countries that can affect the kidneys, spleen, heart, and other organs. People with conditions such as multiple myeloma or bone marrow disease are more likely to suffer from al amyloidosis.
It starts in plasma cells in the bone marrow. Plasma cells create antibodies with heavy chain protein and light chain. If plasma cells experience abnormal changes, they produce excessive light chain protein that can end in the bloodstream. This damaged protein beet can accumulate in body tissues and damage vital organs such as the heart.
Another type is amyloidosis AA. Previously known as secondary amyloidosis, this condition is the result of infectious diseases or other chronic inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn disease, or ulcerative colitis. Most affect a person’s kidneys, digestive tract, liver, and liver. AA refers to the type A amyloid protein that causes it.
Amilloidosis related to dialysis is more common in older adults and people who have carried out dialysis for more than 5 years. This amyloidosis form is caused by beta-2 microglobulin deposits which accumulate in the blood. Deposits can accumulate in many different tissues, but most commonly affect bones, joints, and tendons.
Transhyretin amyloidosis can be inherited from family members and therefore usually referred to as familial amyloidosis. Transhyretin is a protein that is also known as prealbumin made in the liver. Thus, this often affects the liver, nerves, heart, and kidneys and many genetic defects are related to the higher chance of amyloid.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of amyloidosis are often smooth and can vary depending on where amyloid protein is collected in the body. When amyloidosis develops, amyloid deposits can endanger the heart, liver, spleen, kidney, digestive tract, brain or nerve.
Common signs or symptoms will include:
- Severe fatigue
- Weight loss
- Swelling in the stomach, legs, ankles or legs
- Numbness, pain or tingling in the hands or feet
- Skin discoloration
- Purple spots (purpura) or areas of skin that appear bruised around the eyes
- Bleeding more than usual after injury
- Swelling of the tongue
- Hard to breathe
Diagnosis and treatment
One or more imaging procedures to see the body’s internal organs, such as echocardiogram, nuclear heart test or liver ultrasonography, is a normal test to diagnose the condition.
The purpose of amyloidosis treatment is to slow down development, reduce the impact of symptoms, and extend life. Actual therapy depends on the form of amyloidosis. Chemotherapy is a form of treatment because some drugs used to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing can also stop the growth of cells that make abnormal protein in people with al amyloidosis.
Bone marrow transplant, where the parent cells are removed from a person’s blood, and then chemotherapy is used to kill abnormal cells in the bone marrow, is another form of treatment. The parent cells are then infused back into the body of someone where they travel to the bone marrow and replace unhealthy cells that are destroyed by chemotherapy.
Secondary amyloidosis (AA) is treated by controlling the underlying disorder and with strong anti-inflammatory drugs that fight inflammation.
The administration of the United States food and medicine has also recently agreed to some drugs for Transthyretin Amyloidosis. These drugs work with “silence” TTR gene or by stabilizing TTR protein. As a result, further amyloid plaque should not store in organs. The drug for a person will depend on the symptoms of a person and the form of falling ttr amyloidosis.
