Immunoelectrophoretic investigations in 55 patients with systemic amyloidosis

Abstract

Among 55 amyloidoses, the detection of a monoclonal protein (MP) led to the selection of 15 primary and 3 myeloma-associated types of amyloidosis. Therefore the presence of a MP gives evidence for an immunocytic amyloidosis. The lambda-light-chain nature of MP and the abundant production of free light-chains are two of the factors predisposing to the production of amyloid deposits (AL) in the course of immunocyte dyscrasias.

Cardiac Amyloidosis in the Presence of Bence‐jones Proteinuria and Normal Serum Immunoglobulins

“…Amyloid is found in the heart of 90% of primary and myeloma‐associated cases at postmortem, 5 but is not usually apparent clinically. Indeed the clinical prevalence of amyloid per se in myeloma is less than 10%, 6 let alone as a presenting feature, as in our patient. In a series of 54 patients with cardiac amyloidosis only 13% had myeloma 7 .…”

“…Amyloidosis is more prevalent in light‐chain myeloma, 8 as in our patient, but monoclonal light chains are usually present in the serum. In a series of 55 cases of amyloidosis, 6 15 out of 24 primary cases and 3 out of 3 cases secondary to myeloma had a serum monoclonal protein. All the cases of myeloma were associated with monoclonal light chains in the serum and urine.…”