[Diffuse interstitial pulmonary amyloidosis (author's transl)]. / Amylose pulmonaire diffuse interstitielle.

ABSTRACT

A 56-year-old woman developed diffuse interstitial pulmonary amyloidosis and died two years after the onset of dyspneic symptoms. Lung biopsy confirmed the amyloid nature of the reticulonodular lesions, which were at the origin of the mixed restrictive and obstructive ventilatory deficiency. Investigations showed an obvious hypogamma globulinemia but the etiology of the affection remained unknown. Pathological examination revealed massive infiltration of amyloid material in the lungs, no involvement of the heart, what was unexpected, and minimal deposits in the mediastinal lymph nodes kidneys, and spleen. An immunofluorescence study of the pulmonary amyloid deposits was performed. The authors emphasize the rarity of such diffuse interstitial pulmonary amyloid lesions which differ greatly from nodular amyloidosis and upper respiratory tract amyloid infections.