Senile Systemic Amyloidosis

Senile systemic amyloidosis (SSA) is an age-related amyloidosis that involves abnormal accumulation and aggregation of the protein transthyretin in different tissues. Cardiac dysfunction typically is a predominant SSA symptom and, in turn, the disease is a common cause of heart failure in the elderly. The prevalence of SSA can reach 25% in people of age 85 or older. Currently, there is no treatment for SSA. However, drugs for familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, a related genetic disease, have been approved in Europe, Japan, and the US and may be effective also against SSA.

Refer also to Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy and Familial Amyloidotic Cardiomyopathy.