Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Primary amyloidosis causes
Introduction
Overview
Overview
The cause of AL amyloidosis is usually a plasma cell dyscrasia, an acquired abnormality of the plasma cell in the bone marrow with production of an abnormal light chain protein (a component of an antibody).
Causes
Causes
- The cause of AL amyloidosis is usually a plasma cell dyscrasia, an acquired abnormality of the plasma cell in the bone marrow with production of an abnormal light chain protein (a component of an antibody).
- The increased production of plasma cell clone leads to extra-cellular deposition of fibril-forming monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig) light chains (LC) (most commonly of lambda isotype)
- Typically, an excess amount of antibody protein is produced and the abnormal light chain portion or the whole antibody molecule accumulates in the organs in the form of amyloid deposits.
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Syed Hassan A. Kazmi BSc, MD [2]