This report describes general characteristics of the group of diseases classified as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). CAA is a genetically heterogeneous disorder, with multiple genes and mapped loci. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is not described as a phenotypic series in OMIM as of this update; a list of subtypes that have been investigated in flies may be found in the "Related Diseases" section below.
[updated Jun. 2017 by FlyBase; FBrf0222196]
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) refers to the deposition of β-amyloid in the walls of the blood vessels of the central nervous system. It is a component of any disorder in which amyloid is deposited in the brain; it is not associated with systemic amyloidosis. While often asymptomatic, CAA may lead to dementia, intracranial hemorrhage, or transient neurologic events. [http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1162720-overview, 2017.07.14]
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), or cerebroarterial amyloidosis, refers to a pathologic process in which amyloid protein progressively deposits in cerebral blood vessel walls with subsequent degenerative vascular changes that usually result in spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage, recurrent headaches, ischemic lesions, hemorrhagic strokes, and progressive dementia (Revesz et al., 2003; pubmed: 14533778). [from MIM:605714; 2017.06.02]
