Screening for amyloid deposition by subcutaneous fat tissue aspiration technique in rheumatoid arthritic patients and investigating its clinical significance in Iran

Alishiri, G.H. and Bayat, N. and Salimzadeh, A. and Forghanizadeh, J. and Setarehshenas, R. and Ghorbani, G.A. (2007) Screening for amyloid deposition by subcutaneous fat tissue aspiration technique in rheumatoid arthritic patients and investigating its clinical significance in Iran. APLAR Journal of Rheumatology, 10 (2). pp. 125-129.

Preview

Text rheumatoid arthritic.pdf Download (62kB) | Preview

Abstract

Aim: This study examined the frequency of secondary amyloidosis in Iranian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in order to determine its clinical significance. Methods: A total of 220 RA patients (167 female, 53 male), with minimum disease duration of 5 years, were included in this prospective study over a period of about 2 years. Abdominal subcutaneous fat-pad aspiration (ASFA) method was used in obtaining specimens from all subjects. All of the specimens were examined for apple-green birefringence under polarized light microscope. Amyloid deposits were graded from 1+ to 3+. Clinical, radiological, and laboratory characteristics of the patients were assessed and recorded. Results: Amyloid deposition was detected in 11 (5) of the fat smears stained with Congo red stain. All of the samples had minimal (1+) amyloid deposits. In this study, amyloid-positive cases showed clinically significant symptoms; six of the patients (55) presented with proteinuria, and seven other cases (64) presented with severe constipation. Conclusion: Abdominal fat amyloid deposition was found to be uncommon in adult Iranian RA patients. In up to half of the patients the deposits were subclinical. A longer follow-up and larger multicentric collaborative study is needed to determine the significance of subclinical amyloid deposits. © 2007 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Actions (login required)

View Item