Primary Amyloidosis with Macroglossia as Diagnostic Key: Case Report

Alvaro Vigouroux Valenzuela; Francisca Donoso Hofer & Ana Verónica Ortega Pinto

Summary

Amyloidosis groups a large set of diseases characterized by the deposit of an extracellular insoluble protein known as amyloid. Intraoral presentation of macroglossia induced by amyloidosis is a rare entity that can impair patient function and hide other pathological conditions. We report a case of an 85-year-old woman with no morbid background were the physical examination revealed macroglossia. Primary systemic amyloidosis (AL) definitive diagnosis was made after the tongue biopsy resulted positive under congo red histochemical staining, and serum immunoelectrophoresis had elevated levels for lambda light chains. Primary dental dentistry training on semiotics is imperative to diagnose early stages of hidden pathologies with low life expectancy such as AL, which in 20 % of cases are associated with life threatening diseases like multiple myeloma.

KEY WORDS: macroglossia, amyloidosis.

How to cite this article

VIGOUROUX, V. A.; HOFER, D. & ORTEGA, P. A. V. Primary amyloidosis with macroglossia as diagnostic key: Case report. Int. J. Odontostomat., 15(4):938-941, 2021.