Dialysis or kidney transplantation can lengthen and improve the quality of life for patients whose amyloidosis results in kidney failure. Heart transplants are rarely performed. Although no link has been established between diet and development of amyloid proteins, a patient whose heart or kidneys have been affected by the disease may be advised to use a diuretic or follow a low-salt diet. Most cases of amyloidosis are diagnosed after the disease has reached an advanced stage. The course of each patient's illness is unique but death, usually a result of heart disease or kidney failure, generally occurs within a few years.
Amyloidosis associated by multiple myeloma usually has a poor prognosis.
Most patients with both diseases die within one to two years. Prevention Genetic counseling may be helpful for patients with hereditary amyloidosis and their families. Use of cholchicine in patients with familial Mediterranean fever has successfully prevented amyloidosis. Amyloid A waxy, starch-like protein. Peripheral nerves Nerves that carry information to and from the spinal cord.