The family of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf (retired) has said he has been hospitalized for the past three weeks after his condition deteriorated. In a statement on Twitter on Mr Musharraf’s official Twitter account, his family said he is dealing with amyloidosis and prayed for ease in his daily life.
“He is not on a ventilator. He has been hospitalized for the past 3 weeks because of a complication of his condition (amyloidosis). Going through a difficult phase where recovery is not possible and organs are not working properly. Pray for ease in his daily life, ” the tweet said.
What is Amyloidosis?
According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), amyloidosis is the name for a group of rare, serious conditions caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body.
Amyloid deposits can build up in the heart, brain, kidneys, spleen, and other parts of the body.
The buildup of these protein deposits can make it difficult for the organs and tissues to work properly. Without treatment, it can lead to organ failure, the NHS says.
Mr Musharraf was diagnosed with the life-threatening health condition in the UAE in 2018.
What Causes Amyloidosis?
Amyloidosis can be secondary to another health condition or can develop as a primary condition, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Sometimes it’s due to a mutation in a gene, but sometimes the cause of amyloidosis remains unknown, it added.
Types of Amyloidosis
There are several types of amyloidosis, which are common:
Light-chain (AL) amyloidosis: It can affect the kidneys, spleen, heart, and other organs. People with conditions such as multiple myeloma or a bone marrow disease called Wadenstrom’s macroglobulinemia are more likely to have AL amyloidosis.
AA Amyloidosis: It is caused by fragments of amyloid A protein and affects the kidneys in about 80 percent of cases. It can complicate chronic diseases characterized by inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBS).
Transthyretin Amyloidosis (ATTR): It can be inherited from a family member. Transthyretin is a protein also known as prealbumin. It is made in the liver. Excessive normal (wild-type ATTR) or mutated transthyretin can cause amyloid deposits.
Symptoms of Amyloidosis
While there are some common symptoms of the disease, they vary widely depending on where the amyloid protein collects in the body.
The common symptoms are (listed by Johns Hopkins on its website):
- Feeling very weak or tired
- Lose weight without trying
- Swelling in the abdomen, legs, ankles or feet
- Numbness, pain, or tingling in hands or feet
- Skin that bruises easily
- Purple patches (purpura) or bruised areas of the skin around the eyes
- Bleeding more than usual after an injury
- Increased tongue size
- shortness of breath
As amyloidosis progresses, the deposits of amyloid can damage the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, digestive tract, brain, or nerves.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Diagnosing amyloidosis is difficult because the symptoms are generic. The doctors will take a small sample of tissue (biopsy) from the affected part to understand what type of amyloidosis is present. Depending on this, the treatment is carried out.
There is currently no cure for amyloidosis. The amyloid deposits cannot be removed directly. So the doctors can discuss:
Chemotherapy, which is used to kill or stop cancer cells from growing, and a similar method can be used to stop the growth of cells that make abnormal proteins.
Bone marrow transplant: In this procedure, healthy stem cells are taken from a patient’s body. They are then administered back into their bodies to replace the unhealthy ones destroyed by chemotherapy.
There are also some drugs that are used to treat amyloidosis. These drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.