<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Dear listmates, I did not read any involvement of amyloidosis and CD however, I am posting this info. because some have expressed interested in this disease. What I did find out about amyloidosis is that it involves a protein called amyloid which deposits itself into one or more organs and interferes with an organ's function. There are various amyloid proteins but secondary amyloidosis involves specifically deposits of the amyloid A protein and it occurs in the following autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, behcet's syndrome, tophaceous gout, vasculitis, sjogren's syndrome, polymyalgia rheumatica, and inflammatory bowel disease. "Patients with non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetes mellitus have amyloiid deposits in the pancreatic beta cells; these are composed primarily of a protein called amylin. The question of whether amylin is involved in the pathogenesis of type II diabetes is controversial." (Vogelgesang, S, 1994. The many guises of amyloidosis, Postgraduate Med 96: 119-127). The article also mentioned that amyloidosis should be considered in any one with unexplained proteinuria, peripheral neuropathy, carpel tunnel syndrome etc. Renal disease comes with most types of amyloidosis. Gastrointestinal involvement results in 50 percent of patients with amyloidosis. I read an article at Medscape of a patient with amyloidosis and gastrointestinal bleeding which can be accessed by doing a search on these parameters. Clinical Manifestations (Table 1 of above citation): Neurologic sensory neuropathy autonomic neuropathy carpal tunnel syndrome Renal proteinuria nephrotic syndrome renal vein thrombosis Gastrointestinal diarrhea malabsorption ulceration, etc. The other clinical manifestations include cardiac, cutaneous (skin), musculoskeletal, pulmonary and other (splenomegaly). This is an excellent description of the various types of amyloid infitrations (i.e., esophagus, stomach, colon, liver, etc.) and types of amyloidosis, Here's the reference: Janowitz, H, 1998. Gastrointestinal Disorders and Systemic Disease, Gastroenterology Clinics 27: 595-614. Laura Y. _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*