Brief report: atrial systolic failure in primary amyloidosis
Article Abstract:
Patients with amyloidosis may develop atrial systolic failure, a type of heart failure that involves the upper chamber of the heart (atrium). Amyloidosis is a disorder characterized by the accumulation of amyloid protein in different organs and tissues. A 58-year-old woman consulted a physician after suffering from increasing fatigue, shortness of breath, weight loss, chest tightness and a cough for eight months. An echocardiogram and a cardiac catheterization revealed abnormal heart function. A biopsy of heart muscle tissue revealed that she was suffering from amyloidosis. There was no evidence of amyloidosis in any other organ. She underwent a heart transplant six months later after developing severe congestive heart failure. Examination of her heart revealed that amyloid protein was present in every chamber of her heart. She improved after the transplant but died 14 months later from recurrent heart failure.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1992
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Doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy
Article Abstract:
Cancer patients who receive the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin must be examined on a regular basis for the development of heart failure. Doxorubicin can damage the heart, probably because it can generate damaging free radicals. Doses greater than 500 milligrams per square meter of body surface appear to be the most damaging. Heart failure can develop years after the patient has stopped chemotherapy. Once it develops, there are few effective treatments except for heart transplantation. Consequently, all patients who receive the drug should have regular echocardiograms for the rest of their lives. A biopsy can confirm the diagnosis.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1998
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Molecular mechanisms of amyloidosis
Article Abstract:
The physiological aspects of amyloidosis is reviewed. Topics include molecular and biochemical mechanisms, mutations, amyloid constituents, amyloid deposition, mechanism of tissue damage, diagnostic problems, molecular therapeutic targets, and effective therapies. Amyloidosis occurs when proteins do not fold properly and are deposited in certain organs in large amounts.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 2003
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