[Cholestatic jaundice and constitutional syndrome as early manifestations of primary systemic amyloidosis].

We present the case of a 70-year-old woman who had been suffering from constitutional syndrome for several months, abdominal distension, and yellowish coloration of the skin for the previous few days with a rapidly fatal course. Examination revealed hepatomegaly and ascites. Laboratory investigations revealed hyperbilirubinemia with cholestasis. The remaining investigations (abdominal ultrasound, barium transit evaluation, bone marrow study, analysis of ascitic fluid and laparoscopy) did not establish the diagnosis. This was established by liver and subcutaneous fatty tissue biopsies, which revealed type AL amyloid deposits. Autopsy confirmed that the patient had primary systemic amyloidosis. This infrequent form of presentation of systemic amyloidosis and its poor prognosis are discussed.