Amyloidosis is caused by blood cells that produce abnormal proteins, which form “fibrils”, a clump of proteins. They aggregate on organs and prevent them from functioning. The heart is one of the main organs affected by amyloidosis. The fibrils then block its functioning, which results in heart failure.

These disease affects between 5 and 6000 people in France. The national reference center for amyloidosis is located at the University Hospital of Limoges, where expertise has been developed for several decades.

The doctors who receive and accompany the patients work in close collaboration with a team of researchers. They want to improve diagnosis, better understand the disease, and also develop new treatments.

“Currently we stop the production of abnormal proteins but we do not remove what is already in the organs” says Christophe Sirac, researcher at the University of Limoges.

Find the interview of Christophe Sirac :

RFind the complete report on the site of France 3: https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquitaine/haute-vienne/limoges/l-amylose-maladie-rare-etudiee-a-limoges-2477713.html