What is not Amyloidosis?
Several important diseases are associated with amyloid deposits but are not amyloidosis. The neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease by definition includes intra-cerebral ABeta amyloid deposits, but it is not known whether these deposits are responsible for the neuronal cell death that causes cognitive decline; non-fibrillar ABeta aggregates may be more directly involved. In contrast, by analogy with the notable friability of systemic blood vessels containing AL amyloid deposits, it seems likely that the cerebrovascular ABeta amyloid deposits in cerebral amyloid angiopathy are responsible for cerebral haemorrhage. Most patients with type 2 diabetes have amyloid deposits in the islets of Langerhans, which may exacerbate islet dysfunction, but amyloid is not the original cause of their diabetes. Cerebral amyloid deposits of the prion protein are present in many forms of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy but are absent in others, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cows and
