• Alice Lopes, Isabel Fonseca, Alexandra Sousa, Carla Rodrigues, Margarida Branco, Teresa Coelho, Jorge Sequeiros, and Paula Freitas.
• a Serviço de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental , Centro Hospitalar do Porto , Porto , Portugal.
• Amyloid. 2018 Mar 1; 25 (1): 26-36.

BackgroundChronic physical illness has been associated with emotional distress. Chronic diseases may change usual family patterns with economic, social and family losses. Hereditary ATTR V30M amyloidosis is a rare, fatal inherited systemic amyloidosis, with chronic evolution and beginning in adulthood.Aims And MethodsTo evaluate psychopathological dimensions and how they correlated with disease-related life events, 209 symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers, participated in the study. Sociodemographic and Family and Personal History Disease questionnaires and brief symptom inventory (BSI) were applied.ResultsBSI indices, global severity index (GSI), positive symptom index (PSI) and positive symptom total (PST) scored higher than general population. Independent predictors for GSI >0.83 were female sex (OR = 3.46, p = .005) and being symptomatic carriers (OR = 3.03, p = .039). Independent predictors of a PST >26.99 were female sex (OR = 3.74, p = .012) symptomatic carrier (OR = 5.32, p = .025), age between 15 and 24 years at affected parent's death (OR = 5.26, p = .04). Independent predictors of a PSI >1.56 were being asymptomatic carrier (OR = 6.3, p = .036); to have children (OR = 3.19, p = .043) and have ≤14 years at parent's disease onset (OR = 6.39, p = .05).ConclusionsResults point to an important vulnerability of this population for psychological distress and psychiatric disease. Early life events related to disease, being sick and sex are associated with psychopathological distress.

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