Hear from the experts on hereditary amyloidosis
Amyloidosis is a rare disease that occurs when a substance called amyloid builds up in your organs. Amyloid is an abnormal protein that is produced in your bone marrow and can be deposited in any tissue or organ.
Hereditary amyloidosis (familial amyloidosis) is an inherited disorder that often affects the liver, nerves, heart and kidneys. Many different types of gene abnormalities present at birth are associated with an increased risk of amyloid disease. The type and location of an amyloid gene abnormality can affect the risk of certain complications, the age at which symptoms first appear, and the way the disease progresses over time.
Recently NeurologyLive featured Mayo Clinic neurologist P. James B. Dyck, M.D., and three other experts in a “Peer Exchange” panel discussing hereditary amyloidosis.
In the 14 video segments in Understanding Hereditary ATTR (hATTR) Amyloidosis and the Recent Advances in Management, Dr. Dyck and his peers walk viewers through the current knowledge of hereditary amyloidosis, treatments and ongoing research.
According to the Amyloidosis Foundation, in the U.S., each year about 4,500 people are newly diagnosed with the most common type of amyloidosis. Much fewer are diagnosed with hereditary amyloidosis, making this a very rare variation of what is already a rare disease.
At Mayo Clinic, research drives everything we do for patients. In the case of amyloidosis, several leading experts oversee research programs including:
- Protein Misfolding Laboratory, led by Marina Ramirez Alvarado, Ph.D., with:
- Several research programs within the Mayo Clinic Transplant Research Center also investigate amyloidosis:
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Tags: About, amyloidosis, hereditary diseases, neurology, News, P. James Dyck, Progress Updates