(am'ĭ-loyd‵ )

[amyl- + -oid]

1. Resembling starch; starchlike.
2. A protein-polysaccharide complex produced and deposited in tissues during some chronic infections, malignancies, and rheumatological disorders. It is a homogeneous substance staining readily with Congo red. It is associated with a variety of chronic diseases, particularly tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, leprosy, Hodgkin disease, and carcinoma. Beta amyloid deposits in the brain contribute to Alzheimer disease; in the heart, they can cause cardiomyopathy.

   SEE: amyloid beta peptide; amyloidosis; amyloid degeneration.