Secondary amyloidosis in lepromatous leprosy: possible relationships of diet and environment / ?

ABSTRACT

Some of the possible factors involved in the genesis of amyloidosis during the course of lepromatous leprosy have been studied. In a group of 101 patients from the U. S. Public Health Service Hospital at Carville, La., it is estimated that 40 to 50% have concomitant amyloidosis. This high proportion has been previously wll-documented by autopsy studies (2,3) and was suggested by a 31% positive result in 69 gingival biopsies among this group. Congo red results were often positive, particularly when accompanied by persistent albuminuria. The high percentage of amyloidosis at Carville lies in distict contrast to that of 119 patients studied at Guadalajara, Mexico, where amyloid was diagnosed in only 6%. Factors which may play some role in this different include discrepancies in animal fat consumption between the two population groups. Patients at Carville eat fewer calories but twice the percentage of saturated fat in their diet as compared to the Mexican group studied...