Effect of a single dose of dimethyl sulphoxide on renal amyloidosis.

An amyloid-like fibrillar substance was obtained under certain chemical conditions from the urine of 11 patients with amyloid nephropathy who had been given a test dose of dimethyl sulphoxide. This fibrillar material could not be produced in the urine from 9 patients with proteinuria due to other causes. This finding may be useful in the diagnosis of amyloid nephropathy and could lead to a new approach to thearpy.