A Case of Severe Cholestasis due to Hepatic AL Amyloidosis.

INTRODUCTION

Immunoglobulin light chain-associated amyloidosis results from extracellular tissue deposition of fibril-forming monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains, secreted by a clone of plasma cells. Although the liver is often involved histologically, most cases are clinically asymptomatic, and severe intrahepatic cholestasis as the primary manifestation of the disease is rare.

CLINICAL CASE: We report an unusual case of primary amyloidosis in a 71-year-old man, presenting with rapidly progressive cholestasis, associated with hepatomegaly. There are a few reported cases in the literature of cholestasis and acute liver failure as the first manifestations of AL amyloidosis.

CONCLUSION

Infiltrative diseases, such as amyloidosis, must be considered when a patient presents with cholestatic hepatitis. A liver biopsy is essential for the diagnosis of amyloidosis when liver test abnormalities dominate the initial clinical presentation. Liver involvement in patients with amyloidosis is often an indicator of poor prognosis.