Clinical Information

The systemic amyloidoses are a number of disorders of varying etiology characterized by extracellular protein deposition. The most common form is an acquired amyloidosis secondary to multiple myeloma or monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS) in which the amyloid is composed of immunoglobulin light chains. In addition to light chain amyloidosis, there are a number of acquired amyloidoses caused by the misfolding and precipitation of a wide variety of proteins. There are also hereditary forms of amyloidosis.

The hereditary amyloidoses comprise a group of autosomal dominant, late-onset diseases that show variable penetrance. A number of genes have been associated with hereditary forms of amyloidosis including those that encode transthyretin, apolipoprotein AI, apolipoprotein AII, gelsolin, cystatin C, lysozyme, and fibrinogen alpha chain (FGA). Apolipoprotein AI, apolipoprotein AII, lysozyme, and fibrinogen amyloidosis present as nonneuropathic systemic amyloidosis, with renal dysfunction being the most prevalent manifestation.

FGA-related familial visceral amyloidosis commonly presents with renal failure, which can often be fulminant, and is characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and azotemia. Liver and spleen involvement may be seen in advanced cases. Neuropathy is not a feature of FGA-related familial visceral amyloidosis.

Due to the clinical overlap between the acquired and hereditary forms, it is imperative to determine the specific type of amyloidosis in order to provide an accurate prognosis and consider appropriate therapeutic interventions. Tissue-based, laser-capture tandem mass spectrometry might serve as a useful test preceding gene sequencing to better characterize the etiology of the amyloidosis, particularly in cases that are not clinically clear.

It is important to note that there are rare disorders of hemostasis that are also associated with mutations in the FGA gene. Patients with afibrinogenemia, hypofibrinogenemia, and dysfibrinogenemia have all been reported to have mutations in FGA. Most dysfibrinogenemias are autosomal dominant disorders; afibrinogenemia and hypofibrinogenemia are more often autosomal recessive disorders. In general, truncating mutations in FGA result in afibrinogenemia and missense mutations are a common cause of dysfibrinogenemia.