PNP-deficiency is extremely rare. Only 33 patients with the disorder in the United States have been documented. In the United Kingdom only one child has been diagnosed with this disorder.

The prevalence of Molybdenum co-factor deficiency is estimated as being between 1 in 100 000 and 1 in 200 000. To date more than 100 cases have been reported. However, this may significantly under represent cases.

This disorder, epidemiologically speaking, is thought to affect approximately 1 in 50,000 newborns according to Jethva, et al. While in the U.S. state of California there seems to be a ratio of 1 in 35,000.

In 2009, Monash Children's Hospital at Southern Health in Melbourne, Australia reported that a patient known as Baby Z became the first person to be successfully treated for molybdenum cofactor deficiency type A. The patient was treated with cPMP, a precursor of the molybdenum cofactor. Baby Z will require daily injections of cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate (cPMP) for the rest of her life.

A 2005 study on rats suggested that hyperprolininemia causes cognitive dysfunction.

Babies with this disorder are usually healthy at birth. The signs and symptoms may not appear until later in infancy or childhood and can include poor feeding and growth (failure to thrive), a weakened and enlarged heart (dilated cardiomyopathy), seizures, and low numbers of red blood cells (anemia). Another feature of this disorder may be very low blood levels of carnitine (a natural substance that helps convert certain foods into energy).

Isobutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency may be worsened by long periods without food (fasting) or infections that increase the body's demand for energy. Some individuals with gene mutations that can cause isobutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency may never experience any signs and symptoms of the disorder.

Short-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (SCADD), also called ACADS deficiency and SCAD deficiency, is an autosomal recessive fatty acid oxidation disorder which affects enzymes required to break down a certain group of fats called short chain fatty acids.

Purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency, often called PNP-deficiency, is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder which results in immunodeficiency.

Saccharopinuria (an excess of saccharopine in the urine), also called saccharopinemia, saccharopine dehydrogenase deficiency or alpha-aminoadipic semialdehyde synthase deficiency, is a variant form of hyperlysinemia. It is caused by a partial deficiency of the enzyme saccharopine dehydrogenase, which plays a secondary role in the lysine metabolic pathway. Inheritance is thought to be autosomal recessive, but this cannot be established as individuals affected by saccharopinuria typically have only a 40% reduction in functional enzyme.

Isobutyryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, commonly known as IBD deficiency, is a rare metabolic disorder in which the body is unable to process certain amino acids properly.

People with this disorder have inadequate levels of an enzyme that helps break down the amino acid valine, resulting in a buildup of valine in the urine, a symptom called valinuria.

Hyperprolinemia type II results in proline levels in the blood between 10 and 15 times higher than normal, and high levels of a related compound called pyrroline-5-carboxylate. This rare form of the disorder may appear benign at times, but often involves seizures, convulsions, and intellectual disability.

Hyperprolinemia can also occur with other conditions, such as malnutrition or liver disease. In particular, individuals with conditions that cause elevated levels of lactic acid in the blood, such as lactic acidemia, are likely to have elevated proline levels, because lactic acid inhibits the breakdown of proline.

Mutations in the "HADH" gene lead to inadequate levels of an enzyme called 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase. Medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids cannot be metabolized and processed properly without sufficient levels of this enzyme. As a result, these fatty acids are not converted to energy, which can lead to characteristic features of this disorder, such as lethargy and hypoglycemia. Medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids or partially metabolized fatty acids may build up in tissues and damage the liver, heart, and muscles, causing more serious complications.

This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means two copies of the gene in each cell are altered. Most often, the parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive disorder each carry one copy of the altered gene but do not show signs and symptoms of the disorder.

6-Pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder that causes malignant hyperphenylalaninemia due to tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency.

It belongs to the rare diseases. It is a recessive disorder that is accompanied by hyperphenylalaninemia. Commonly reported symptoms are initial truncal hypotonia, subsequent appendicular hypertonia, bradykinesia, cogwheel rigidity, generalized dystonia, and marked diurnal fluctuation. Other reported clinical features include difficulty in swallowing, oculogyric crises, somnolence, irritability, hyperthermia, and seizures. Chorea, athetosis, hypersalivation, rash with eczema, and sudden death have also been reported. Patients with mild phenotypes may deteriorate if given folate antagonists such as methotrexate, which can interfere with a salvage pathway through which dihydrobiopterin is converted into tetrahydrobiopterin via dihydrofolate reductase. Treatment options include substitution with neurotransmitter precursors (levodopa, 5-hydroxytryptophan), monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and tetrahydrobiopterin. Response to treatment is variable and the long-term and functional outcome is unknown. To provide a basis for improving the understanding of the epidemiology, genotype/phenotype correlation and outcome of these diseases their impact on the quality of life of patients, and for evaluating diagnostic and therapeutic strategies a patient registry was established by the noncommercial International Working Group on Neurotransmitter Related Disorders (iNTD).

One European study reported a rate of 1 in 254,000; a Japanese study reported a rate of 1 in 357,143. No correlation with other inherited characteristics, or with ethnic origin, is known.

The term fatty acid oxidation disorder (FAOD) is sometimes used, especially when there is an emphasis on the oxidation of the fatty acid.

In addition to the fetal complications, they can also cause complications for the mother during pregnancy.

Examples include:

- trifunctional protein deficiency

- MCADD, LCHADD, and VLCADD

D-Bifunctional protein deficiency (officially called 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase IV deficiency) is an autosomal recessive peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation disorder. Peroxisomal disorders are usually caused by a combination of peroxisomal assembly defects or by deficiencies of specific peroxisomal enzymes. The peroxisome is an organelle in the cell similar to the lysosome that functions to detoxify the cell. Peroxisomes contain many different enzymes, such as catalase, and their main function is to neutralize free radicals and detoxify drugs, such as alcohol. For this reason peroxisomes are ubiquitous in the liver and kidney. D-BP deficiency is the most severe peroxisomal disorder, often resembling Zellweger syndrome.

Characteristics of the disorder include neonatal hypotonia and seizures, occurring mostly within the first month of life, as well as visual and hearing impairment. Other symptoms include severe craniofacial disfiguration, psychomotor delay, and neuronal migration defects. Most onsets of the disorder begin in the gestational weeks of development and most affected individuals die within the first two years of life.

Typically, initial signs and symptoms of this disorder occur during infancy or early childhood and can include poor appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, hypoglycemia, hypotonia, liver problems, and abnormally high levels of hyperinsulinism. Insulin controls the amount of sugar that moves from the blood into cells for conversion to energy. Individuals with 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency are also at risk for complications such as seizures, life-threatening heart and breathing problems, coma, and sudden unexpected death.

Problems related to 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency can be triggered by periods of fasting or by illnesses such as viral infections. This disorder is sometimes mistaken for Reye syndrome, a severe disorder that may develop in children while they appear to be recovering from viral infections such as chicken pox or flu. Most cases of Reye syndrome are associated with the use of aspirin during these viral infections.

The fatty acids are transported by carnitine, and defects in this process are associated with several disorders. They involve the step immediately before oxidation, and are often grouped with the oxidation disorders.

The most commonly seen form of PDCD is caused by mutations in the X-linked E1 alpha gene and is approximately equally prevalent in both males and females. However, a greater severity of symptoms tends to affect males more often than heterozygous females. This can be explained by x-inactivation, as females carry one normal and one mutant gene. Cells with a normal allele active can metabolize the lactic acid that is released by the PDH deficient cells. They cannot, however, supply ATP to these cells and, therefore, phenotype depends largely on the nature/severity of the mutation.

Copper deficiency is a very rare hematological and neurological disorder.

The neurodegenerative syndrome of copper deficiency has been recognized for some time in ruminant animals, in which it is commonly known as "swayback". Copper is ubiquitous, and daily requirement is low, making acquired copper deficiency very rare. Copper deficiency can manifest in parallel with vitamin B12 and other nutritional deficiencies.

The most common cause of copper deficiency is a remote gastrointestinal surgery, such as gastric bypass surgery, due to malabsorption of copper, or zinc toxicity. On the other hand, Menkes disease is a genetic disorder of copper deficiency involving a wide variety of symptoms that is often fatal.

Copper is involved in normalized function of many enzymes, such as cytochrome c oxidase, which is complex IV in mitochondrial electron transport chain, ceruloplasmin, Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase, and in amine oxidases. These enzyme catalyze reactions for oxidative phosphorylation, iron transportation, antioxidant and free radical scavenging and neutralization, and neurotransmitter synthesis, respectively. A regular diet contains a variable amount of copper, but may provide 5 mg/day, of which only 20-50% is absorbed. The diet of the elderly may contain a lower copper content than the recommended daily intake. Dietary copper can be found in whole grain cereals, legumes, oysters, organ meats (particularly liver), cherries, dark chocolate, fruits, leafy green vegetables, nuts, poultry, prunes, and soybeans products like tofu.

The deficiency in copper can cause many hematological manifestations, such as myelodysplasia, anemia, low white blood cell count, and low count of neutrophils(a type of white blood cell that is often called "the first line of defense" for the immune system). Copper deficiency has long been known for as a cause of myelodysplasia (when a blood profile has indicators of possible future leukemia development), but it was not until recently in 2001 that copper deficiency was associated with neurological manifestations. Neurological manifestations seen with copper deficiency may include sensory ataxia (irregular coordination due to proprioceptive loss), spasticity, muscle weakness, and more rarely visual loss due to damage in the peripheral nerves, myelopathy (disease of the spinal cord), and rarely optic neuropathy.

The treatment of 2-Hydroxyglutaric aciduria is based on seizure control, the prognosis depends on how severe the condition is.

Increased consumption of zinc is another cause of copper deficiency. Zinc is often used for the prevention or treatment of common colds and sinusitis (inflammation of sinuses due to an infection), ulcers, sickle cell disease, celiac disease, memory impairment and acne. Zinc is found in many common vitamin supplements and is also found in denture creams. Recently, several cases of copper deficiency myeloneuropathy were found to be caused by prolonged use of denture creams containing high quantities of zinc.

Metallic zinc is the core of all United States currency coins, including copper coated pennies. People who ingest a large number of coins will have elevated zinc levels, leading to zinc-toxicity-induced copper deficiency and the associated neurological symptoms. This was the case for a 57-year-old woman diagnosed with schizophrenia. The woman consumed over 600 coins, and started to show neurological symptoms such as unsteady gait and mild ataxia.

Menkes disease (MNK), also known as Menkes syndrome, is an X-linked recessive disorder that affects copper levels in the body, leading to copper deficiency.

It is more common in males than females, because it only takes one copy of the X-linked recessive gene to be expressed for a male to develop the disease. In order for females to develop the disorder they would need to express two copies of the gene, one on each X chromosome to develop the disorder. MNK is characterized by kinky hair, growth failure, and deterioration of the nervous system. It is caused by mutations in the copper transport gene, ATP7A, which is responsible for making a protein that is important for regulating the copper levels in the body.

The onset of Menkes disease typically begins during infancy, affecting about 1 in 100,000 to 250,000 newborns. Infants with MNK syndrome often do not live past the age of 3. The disorder was first described by John Hans Menkes in 1962.

Harderoporphyria is a rare disorder of heme biosynthesis, inherited in an autosomal recessive manner caused by specific mutations in the "CPOX" gene. Mutations in "CPOX" usually cause hereditary coproporphyria, an acute hepatic porphyria, however the K404E mutation in a homozygous or compound heterozygous state with a null allele cause the more severe harderoporphyria. Harderoporphyria is the first known metabolic disorder where the disease phenotype depended on the type and location of the mutations in a gene associated with multiple disorders.

In contrast with other porphyrias, which typically present with either cutaneous lesions after exposure to sunlight or acute neurovisceral attack at any age (most commonly in adulthood), harderoporphyria is characterized by jaundice, anemia enlarged liver and spleen, often presenting in the neonatal period. Later in life, these individuals may present with photosensitivity similar to that found in cutaneous porphyrias.

Biochemically, harderoporphyria presents with a distinct pattern of increased harderoporphyrin (2-vinyl-4,6,7-tripropionic acid porphyrin) in urine and particularly in feces, a metabolite that is not seen in significant quantities in any other porphyria. Enzyme tests show markedly reduced activity of coproporphyrinogen oxidase, compared to both unaffected individuals and those affected with hereditary coproporphyria, consistent with recessive inheritance.

Harderoporphyria is a rare condition, with less than 10 cases reported worldwide. It may be underdiagnosed, as it does not have the typical presentation associated with a porphyria. It was identified as a variant type of coproporphyria in 1983, in a family with three children identified at birth with jaundice and hemolytic anemia. There is no standard treatment for harderoporphyria; care is mainly focused on the management of symptoms.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency (also known as pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency or PDCD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders associated with abnormal mitochondrial metabolism. PDCD is an X-linked disease that shows heterogeneous characteristics in both clinical presentation and biochemical abnormality. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a multi-enzyme complex that plays a vital role as a key regulatory step in the central pathways of energy metabolism in the mitochondria.