Skip to main content

AL Lambda Amyloidosis Activates Acute Liver Failure in the Absence of Plasma Cell Dyscrasia

Abstract

A patient with systemic amyloidosis developed portal hypertension, acute liver failure and multiorgan dysfunction. Extensive testing was unrevealing for paraproteinemia, plasma cell dyscrasia, infectious, or inflammatory conditions. He was transferred to our institution for orthotopic liver transplant evaluation but was ultimately declined given clinical instability and dysautonomia. Post-mortem evaluation revealed extensive amyloid deposition in multiple organs determined to be AL-lambda amyloidosis.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  1. Voulgarelis M, Mitroulis I, Tzioufas AG. Amyloidosis. In: Efthimiou P, ed. Springer: Cham; 2019; 297–311.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  2. Staron A, Kataria Y, Murray DL, Sloan JM, Sanchorawala V. Systemic AL amyloidosis with an undetectable plasma cell dyscrasia: A zebra without stripes. Am J Hematol. 2020;95:E45–E48. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.25685.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Benson MD, Liepnieks JJ, Kluve-Beckerman B. Hereditary systemic immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis. Blood. 2015;125:3281–3286. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2014-12-618108.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Levine RA. Amyloid disease of the liver. Correlation of clinical, functional and morphologic features in forty-seven patients. Am J Med. 1962;33:349–357. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9343(62)90231-0

  5. Norero B, Perez-Ayuso RM, Duarte I, Ramirez P, Soza A, Arrese M et al. Portal hypertension and acute liver failure as uncommon manifestations of primary amyloidosis. Ann Hepatol. 2013;13:142–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Real de Asua D, Costa R, Galvan JM, Filigheddu MT, Trujillo D, Cadinanos J. Systemic AA amyloidosis: epidemiology, diagnosis, and management. Clin Epidemiol. 2014;6:369–377. doi:https://doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S39981.

  7. Muchtar E, Dispenzieri A, Magen H, Grogan M, Mauermann M, McPhail ED et al. Systemic amyloidosis from A (AA) to T (ATTR): a review. J Intern Med. 2021;289:268–292. https://doi.org/10.1111/joim.13169.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Li G, Han D, Wei S, Wang H, Chen L. Multiorgan involvement by amyloid light chain amyloidosis. J Int Med Res. 2019;47:1778–1786. https://doi.org/10.1177/0300060518814337.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Park MA, Mueller PS, Kyle RA, Larson DR, Plevak MF, Gertz MA. Primary (AL) hepatic amyloidosis: clinical features and natural history in 98 patients. Medicine (Baltimore). 2003;82:291–298. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.md.0000091183.93122.c7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Vaxman I, Gertz M. When to suspect a diagnosis of amyloidosis. Acta Haematol. 2020;143:304–311. https://doi.org/10.1159/000506617.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Wang YD, Zhao CY, Yin HZ. Primary hepatic amyloidosis: a mini literature review and five cases report. Ann Hepatol. 2012;11:721–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sammy Saab.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Najafian, N., Weber, A.T., Zuckerman, J.E. et al. AL Lambda Amyloidosis Activates Acute Liver Failure in the Absence of Plasma Cell Dyscrasia. Dig Dis Sci 67, 67–70 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-021-07253-2

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-021-07253-2

Keywords

  • Amyloid
  • Acute liver failure
  • Portal hypertension