What are the survival outcomes and predictors of benefit for dialysis in patients with primary systemic amyloidosis?
In patients with primary systemic amyloidosis requiring dialysis, median survival is poor (<1 year), but those without cardiac involvement on echocardiogram may derive long-term benefit.
Eighteen percent of patients with primary amyloidosis undergo dialysis. The 24-hour urinary protein loss and creatinine values are helpful in predicting which patients eventually will require dialysis. The median survival for patients starting dialysis is less than 1 year. Patients whose two-dimensional echocardiograms are normal are most likely to derive long-term benefit from dialysis.
Morie A. Gertz (Sun,) studied this question.