Is renal amyloidosis uncommon in Egypt? A-25-year study

Renal amyloidosis is a well-known disease. The forms of amyloidosis that are frequently associated with renal involvement are AL and AA amyloidosis. In Theodor Bilharz Institute, in Egypt, 2.5% of the total number of renal biopsies examined showed amyloidosis including secondary type in 80% and primary type in 20% of cases. To investigate the prevalence of amyloidosis among Egyptian renal patients within 25 years and to screen the amyloid type whether AA or AL. Demographic and pathological data of archived renal biopsies presented to Ain Shams University hospitals in 25 years (1990-2015) were the material of this study. The diagnosis of all renal biopsies included in the study was confirmed by electron microscopy (EM). Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of paraffin blocks for amyloid typing was carried out on archived material from (2010-2015). Of a total number of 3962 biopsies examined; 118 were renal amyloidosis (2.97%). IHC typing of the screened samples revealed positive staining for amyloid A protein in 14 cases (73.68%). Light chain AL amyloidosis was found in 5 cases (26.3%). Renal amyloidosis is not uncommon in Egypt. AA amyloidosis represents the commonest type of renal amyloidosis in this study. The most common underlying disease was systemic inflammatory diseases, on top of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF).