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Chronic hyposphagma revealing primary ocular amyloidosis
Catherine G Brozou1, Edoardo Baglivo, Philippe de Gottrau
1Ophthalmology Clinic, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland. catherine.brozou@hcuge.ch
Background:
Amyloidosis is an extracellular accumulation of a clear substance called amyloid in different organs. Fragments of identical proteinic chains are the components of this substance. Amyloidosis can be primary, secondary (chronic inflammation, multiple myeloma, tumour), senile or hereditary.
History And Signs:
A 59-year-old healthy patient was referred with recurrent subconjunctival haemorrhages in his right eye since one year. The clinical examination disclosed the presence of yellowish subconjunctival deposits associated with haemorrhages.
Therapy And Outcome:
Histopathologic examination of these deposits revealed the presence of amyloid. A complete work-up to exclude a systemic disease gave negative results.
Conclusions:
Primary conjunctival amyloidosis is a rare clinical entity that is mainly diagnosed histopathologically. In the presence of a recurrent hyposphagma of unknown aetiology the diagnosis of amyloidosis should be excluded.