A Little Protein in the Urine

CHART CLUE

At 47, after more than a decade of poorly controlled FMF and chronically high serum amyloid A (SAA), a routine urinalysis turns up a trace of protein – noted on the report as something to ‘recheck sometime.’ It is the quietest possible finding, easy to wave away. But in a patient whose liverA large organ that produces bile, detoxifies blood, and stores nutrients. has been pouring out SAA for years, a little protein in the urineThe liquid waste excreted by the kidneys. is exactly where the amyloid was predicted to land.