Systemic amyloidosis secondary to chronic leg ulcers

Chronic leg ulcers due to any cause are almost invariably associated with an inflammatory process. As with any long-standing inflammation, leg ulcers may be complicated by systemic amyloidosis, which occurs in rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis, tuberculosis, and other disorders. There are, however, very few reports on the association between these two conditions. We report a patient with severe leg ulcers of twenty years' duration in whom reactive systemic amyloidosis presented as a nephrotic syndrome.