Gastrointestinal involvement by primary systemic amyloidosis

Patients with primary systemic amyloidosis usually have gastrointestinal (GI) involvement. Although gut involvements is often asymptomatic, deposition of amyloid may cause widespread dysfunction and a variety of radiographic appearances on barium enema examinations. Forty-seven patients with primary amyloidosis and positive GT biopsies were studied. Of the 47,20 had abnormal barium enema examinations on one or more occasions; the studies disclosed motility disturbances, submucosal masses, mucosal fold abnormalities, bowel dilatation, malabsorption patterns, and ulcers. Radiographic abnormalities, while nonspecific, usually correlated with the severity of GI complaints. Additional cases from the Mayo Clinic files are presented to demonstrate the wide spectrum of charges seen in patients with amyloidosis