Amyloidosis is a type of disease in which an abnormal protein deposits in various tissues damaging them and interfering with the function of the involved organ. The abnormal protein deposits are called amyloid, hence the name of this group of diseases. Amyloidosis occurs in multiple forms -- spontaneous, hereditary, and secondary to a cancer of the blood cells called myeloma. Hereditary amyloidosis is an inherited form that is transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait.