Gastrointestinal manifestations of amyloidosis

Abstract

Amyloidosis is a group of diseases which are caused by the extracellular deposition of amyloid fibrils, which have a beta lamella structure and are positive for Congo red staining. The diagnosis of amyloidosis still relies on histology. Brick red coloration in Congo red staining of biopsy tissue and apple green double refraction under a polarizing microscope are diagnostic features of amyloidosis. Patients with systemic amyloidosis often exhibit gastrointestinal symptoms, which have complicated patterns of manifestations, including giant tongue, dysphagia, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bleeding, malabsorption, and different levels of gastrointestinal bleeding. Clinical symptoms of amyloidosis are atypical and easy to be misdiagnosed, which often causes delayed treatment. In this review, we will briefly introduce the clinical and endoscopic features of gastrointestinal manifestations of amyloidosis as well as its treatment.