1. Pathomorphological Features of the Novel Coronavirus Disease in Patients with Systemic Amyloidosis
- Author
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Liudmila Mikhaleva, Zarina Gioeva, Valery Varyasin, Elvira Berezhnaja, Rositsa Vandysheva, Nikita Gutyrchik, Valentina Pechnikova, Andrej Kontorshchikov, Konstantin Midiber, and Lev Kakturskij
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amyloidosis ,COVID-19 ,SARS-CoV-2 ,comorbid pathology ,immunohistochemistry ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 - Abstract
Amyloidosis is one of the rare systemic illnesses characterized by the deposition of amyloid fibrils in various organs and tissues. There is a common point between COVID-19 and systemic amyloidosis regarding the multiorgan involvement in the pathological process which leads to a heightened risk for severe morbidity and mortality in amyloidosis patients who contracted COVID-19. We performed a pathomorphological analysis of the autopsy records of 22 patients who had COVID-19 and pre-existing systemic amyloidosis. The premortem diagnosis of systemic amyloidosis was established in 55% of patients, and in other 45% of cases, amyloidosis was found at autopsy. Based on the results of immunohistochemical amyloid typing, amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis was detected in 23%, amyloid light chain (AL) lambda in 32%, AL kappa–in 9%, and transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis–in 36% of observations. Immunohistochemical staining with an antibody against SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein revealed positive immune reactions in type II alveolocytes in 59% of deceased persons. The analysis of autopsy findings indicates that patients with systemic amyloidosis are more likely to experience an aggressive clinical course of COVID-19 which leads to a multiorgan failure and a higher risk of fatal outcome.
- Published
- 2023
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