Abstract
Carpal tunnel syndrome has received attention as one of the complications of HD. Although amyloid is considered to be the cause, it has not been ascertained whether the amyloid deposition in the flexor retinaculum is a symptom of systemic amyloidosis or whether it is a local deposition.
In 2 patients, amyloid deposition was observed in the retinaculum flexorum which had been sectioned during surgery. Autopsies undertaken after their deaths disclosed amyloid deposition in other organs. In both patients, there had been no symptoms associated with the secondary amyloidosis. Therefore, we considered that systemic amyloidosis occurs as a result of HD and that carpal tunnel syndrome is only one manifestation of this systemic amyloidosis. Amyloid is mainly deposited in the walls of vessels, the deposition being non-diffuse and focal. This focal deposition of amyloid in considered to be a characteristic of systemic amyloidosis is HD patients. With the current increase in the number of HD patients, amyloid deposition in various organs is expected to become an important problem.
