Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's former military ruler, died aged 79 in Dubai, after a long illness on February 5. He had been suffering from amyloidosis, a rare disease that affects the heart, kidneys and liver. Last year, his family had announced that he was in the advanced stages of the disease, where recovery wasn't possible
Here are some facts about the condition that plagued Musharraf:
- Amyloidosis causes abnormal protein build-up in organs and tissues, which impairs their functioning. Such deposits can happen in the brain, kidneys, heart and spleen. Patients can experience it in one or several organs.
- It can happen because of a gene mutation and can be a primary as well as secondary health condition. In some cases, its causes can be unknown.
- Symptoms of the disease include tiredness, unexplained weight loss, shortness of breath, swelling in the abdominal area, legs, ankles and feet, tingling sensation or numbness in limbs, purple spots on skin around the eyes and unusual bleeding after injuries.
- The disease affects men more. Almost 70 percent of amyloidosis patients are men, according to Johns Hopkins medicine.
- Those who receive dialysis long-term are at the risk of amyloidosis. But with improvement in technology, that is becoming less likely.
- Currently, there is no cure for amyloidosis. However, the condition can be managed with treatments like chemotherapy. Stem cell transplant is another method.
- For heart failure caused by the condition, patients can be treated using drugs and careful dietary restrictions, such as reducing salt intake.
- Without treatments, amyloidosis can lead to organ failure.
