How the amyloid fibril has unraveled: lessons for nephrology

Abstract

I still remember my first amyloid patient. I was on call as a medical intern when a patient was admitted with severe heart and kidney failure and the largest liver I had seen at the time. I recall wondering how a single disease could affect so many different organs. More urgently, who should I consult? At morning rounds, I learned that there were two types of amyloidosis, primary and secondary. I should consult hematology, and to my disbelief, the median survival was just over a year!