Duodenal amyloidosis: a clinical case

BACKGROUND: Amyloidosis is a chronic systemic disease that, in some cases, affects the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.

CLINICAL CASE DESCRIPTION: A 62-year-old patient complained of painless enlargement of the lymph nodes in the supraclavicular region on the left side according to the puncture biopsy of the lymph node — reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. During the examination, duodenal amyloidosis was accidentally detected. The results of additional studies to determine the type of amyloid were nonspecific. The patient refused to continue the examination.

CONCLUSION: This clinical case of duodenal amyloidosis is unusual and clearly demonstrates the difficulties of diagnosis, including the absence of a clinic and the nonspecificity of the endoscopic and radiological picture during the examination. In addition, the absence of an established chronic disease characteristic of amyloid A amyloidosis and the results of laboratory and instrumental research methods, excluding amyloid light chain amyloidosis and transthyretin amyloidosis, emphasise the main role of clinicians in diagnosing the underlying disease.