• Samuel Deshayes, Achille Aouba, Gilles Grateau, and Sophie Georgin-Lavialle.
• Service de médecine interne, Normandie University, UNICAEN, CHU de Caen Normandie, Caen, France.
• Int. J. Clin. Pract. 2021 Jun 1; 75 (6): e13966.

BackgroundAmyloidoses are a heterogeneous group of systemic diseases characterised by extracellular accumulation of insoluble amyloid fibrils derived from unfolded proteins. Inflammatory (AA) amyloidosis can complicate various inflammatory disorders that are associated with a sustained acute phase response and serum amyloid A (SAA) protein overproduction. Chronic infections were the first recognised cause of amyloidoses. However, with the better management of underlying diseases, the frequency of AA amyloidosis is decreasing.PurposeThe aim of this overview was to discuss the several infections associated with AA amyloidosis and the relative frequency of infections as aetiological factors.MethodsA search of the literature was performed using the PubMed database using the MeSH terms "Amyloidosis" and "Infections," from inception to December 31st, 2019. Articles written in other languages than English or French were excluded.ResultsThe frequency of AA amyloidosis secondary to infections decreased from more than 50% to less than 20% after the 2000s, with a parallel increase in the frequency of AA amyloidosis secondary to inflammatory diseases and to an unknown cause.ConclusionWhereas new antibiotics have been developed and sanitary conditions are better, infections still represent 5%-30% of the causes of AA amyloidosis, including in developed countries. These data argue for better screening of chronic infections to prevent AA amyloidosis and the development of new strategies to manage recurrent infections.© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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