Abstract
We report an autopsy case of diabetic renal failure that demonstrated the deposition of amyloid containing β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) in the islets of Langerhans.
The patient was a 68-year-old diabetic female who had received diet and insulin therapy for 10 years, and was hospitalized because of systemic edema and azotemia 4 months previously. She died of intestinal bleeding after 4 hemodialyses. Histopathological examination showed the deposition of amyloid in the islets of Langerhans. It was confirmed by immunohistochemical examination using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) method that the amyloid deposits contained β2-MG. There was no amyloid deposition in other organs.
There are several reports concerning the visceral involvement of dialysis amyloidosis, having been found after only four hemodialysis treatments. It was confirmed that the amyloid contained β2-MG as a component of dialysis amyloidosis.
