Concurrent systemic AA amyloidosis can discriminate primary sclerosing cholangitis from IgG4-associated cholangitis

Chronic hepatobiliary inflammatory diseases are not widely acknowledged as underlying disorders of systemic AA amyloidosis,except epidemic schistosomiasis.Among them,primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) might initiate amyloid A protein deposition in diverse tissues,giving rise to systemic amyloidosis,due to a progressive and unresolved inflammatory process,and its possible association with inflammatory bowel diseases.Nevertheless,only one such case has been reported in the literature to date.We report a 69-year-old Japanese woman with cirrhosis who was diagnosed with PSC complicated with systemic AA amyloidosis,without any evidence of other inflammatory disorders.As a result of cholestasis in conjunction with biliary strictures and increased serum IgG4,the presence of IgG4 + plasma cells was examined systemically,resulting in unexpected documentation of Congo-red-positive amyloid deposits,but not IgG4 + plasma cells,in the liver,stomach and salivary glands.Elevated serum IgG4 is the hallmark of IgG4-related disease,including IgG4-associated cholangitis,but it has also been demonstrated in certain patients with PSC.Amyloid A deposits in multiple organs associated with an indolent clinical course that progresses over many years might have a diagnostic value in discriminating PSC from IgG4-associated cholangitis.

AA Amyloidosis Secondary to Primary Sjögren Syndrome: Can It Be Developed without Chronic Inflammation?

Background: The association of primary Sjögren syndrome (PSS) and AA amyloidosis is a rare occurrence. Objective: To describe the phenotype of patients with this association through our two cases and a literature review. Materials and methods: A report of two cases of AA amyloidosis complicating primary Sjögren syndrome with a literature review. Results: Eight patients of Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome complicated by AA amyloidosis were studies. Six cases were reported in the literature by consulting several databases. 50% of patients had a positive immunological assessment, three cases with kidney damage, and three cases lung damage. Conclusion: The immunological activity in the Primary Sjogren’s Syndrome requires the search not only a lymphoma but also AA amyloidosis apart from any clinical or biological chronic inflammation.