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One Finnish study which followed 25 cases from 18 families found that half the infants died within 3 days of birth and the other half died before 4 months of age.
GRACILE syndrome is a very rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder, one of the Finnish heritage diseases. It is caused by mutation in BCS1L gene that occurs in at least 1 out of 47,000 live births in Finnish people.
GRACILE is an acronym for growth retardation, amino aciduria (amino acids in the urine), cholestasis, iron overload, lactic acidosis, and early death. Other names for this syndrome include Finnish lethal neonatal metabolic syndrome (FLNMS); lactic acidosis, Finnish, with hepatic hemosiderosis; and Fellman syndrome.
It is associated with LAMP2. The status of this condition as a GSD has been disputed.
Although the genetic cause of Danon Disease is known, the mechanism of disease is not well understood. Danon disease involves a genetic defect (mutation) in a gene called LAMP2, which results in a change to the normal protein structure. While the function of the "LAMP2" gene is not well understood, it is known that LAMP2 protein is primarily located in small structures within cells called lysosomes.
Urbach–Wiethe disease is very rare; there are fewer than 300 reported cases in medical literature. Although Urbach–Wiethe disease can be found worldwide, almost a quarter of reported diagnoses are in South Africa. Many of these are in patients of Dutch, German, and Khoisan ancestry. This high frequency is thought to be due to the founder effect. Due to its recessive genetic cause and the ability to be a carrier of the disease without symptoms, Urbach–Wiethe disease often runs in families. In some regions of South Africa, up to one in 12 individuals may be carriers of the disease. Most of the case studies involving Urbach–Wiethe disease patients involve only one to three cases and these cases are often in the same family. Due to its low incidence, it is difficult to find a large enough number of cases to adequately study the disease.
Most children with Farber disease die by age 2, usually from lung disease. In one of the most severe forms of the disease, an enlarged liver and spleen (hepatosplenomegaly) can be diagnosed soon after birth. Children born with this form of the disease usually die within 6 months.
Infants with Schindler disease tend to die within 4 years of birth, therefore, treatment for this form of the disease is mostly palliative. However, Type II Schindler disease, with its late onset of symptoms, is not characterized by neurological degeneration. There is no known cure for Schindler disease, but bone marrow transplants have been trialed, as they have been successful in curing other glycoprotein disorders.
Life expectancy with Fabry disease for males was 58.2 years, compared with 74.7 years in the general population, and for females 75.4 years compared with 80.0 years in the general population, according to registry data from 2001 to 2008. The most common cause of death was cardiovascular disease, and most of those had received kidney replacements.
Urbach–Wiethe disease is typically not a life-threatening condition. The life expectancy of these patients is normal as long as the potential side effects of thickening mucosa, such as respiratory obstruction, are properly addressed. Although this may require a tracheostomy or carbon dioxide laser surgery, such steps can help ensure that individuals with Urbach–Wiethe disease are able to live a full life. Oral dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been shown to reduce skin lesions, helping to minimize discomfort for these individuals.
VHL disease has an incidence of one in 36,000 births. There is over 90% penetrance by the age of 65. Age at diagnosis varies from infancy to age 60–70 years, with an average patient age at clinical diagnosis of 26 years.
This disease is more common in women and an association with the gene FLT4 has been described. FLT4 codes for VEGFR-3, which is implicated in development of the lymphatic system.
Milroy's disease is also known as primary or hereditary lymphedema type 1A or early onset lymphedema.
It is a very rare disease with only about 200 cases reported in the medical literature. Milroy's disease is an autosomal dominant condition caused by a mutation in the FLT4 gene which encodes of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR-3) gene located on the long arm (q) on chromosome 5 (5q35.3).
In contrast to Milroy's disease (early onset lymphedema type 1A,) which typically has its onset of swelling and edema at birth or during early infancy, hereditary lymphedema type II, known as Meige disease, has its onset around the time of puberty. Meige disease is also an autosomal dominant disease. It has been linked to a mutations in the ‘forkhead’ family transcription factor (FOXC2) gene located on the long arm of chromosome 16 (16q24.3). About 2000 cases have been identified. A third type of hereditary lymphedema, that has an onset after the age of 35 is known as lymph-edema tarda.
Schindler disease, also known as Kanzaki disease and alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase deficiency is a rare disease found in humans. This lysosomal storage disorder is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme alpha-NAGA (alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase), attributable to mutations in the NAGA gene on chromosome 22, which leads to excessive lysosomal accumulation of glycoproteins. A deficiency of the alpha-NAGA enzyme leads to an accumulation of glycosphingolipids throughout the body. This accumulation of sugars gives rise to the clinical features associated with this disorder. Schindler disease is an autosomal recessive disorder, meaning that one must inherit an abnormal allele from both parents in order to have the disease.
There is no specific treatment for Farber disease. Corticosteroids may be prescribed to relieve pain. Bone marrow transplants may improve granulomas (small masses of inflamed tissue) on patients with little or no lung or nervous system complications. Older patients may have granulomas surgically reduced or removed.
In infantile Krabbe disease, death usually occurs in early childhood. A 2011 study found 1, 2, 3 year survival rates of 60%, 26%, and 14%, respectively. A few survived for longer and one was still alive at age 13. Patients with late-onset Krabbe disease tend to have a slower progression of the disease and live significantly longer.
Fabry disease is estimated to occur in one in 40,000 to one in 120,000 live births.
As of 2010, even with the best care, children with infantile Tay–Sachs disease usually die by the age of 4.
Krabbe disease occurs in about one in 100,000 births. A higher incidence, about six in 1,000, has been reported in certain communities in Israel. Scandinavian countries have comparatively high rates of the disease, reported to be one in 50,000 births.
Milroy's disease (MD) is a familial disease characterized by lymphedema, commonly in the legs, caused by congenital abnormalities in the lymphatic system. Disruption of the normal drainage of lymph leads to fluid accumulation and hypertrophy of soft tissues. It is also known as Milroy disease, Nonne-Milroy-Meige syndrome and hereditary lymphedema.
It was named by Sir William Osler for William Milroy, a Canadian physician, who described a case in 1892, though it was first described by Rudolf Virchow in 1863.
Minimal change disease is most common in very young children but can occur in older children and adults. It is by far the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in children between the ages of 1 and 7, accounting for the majority (about 90%) of these diagnoses. Among teenagers who develop nephrotic syndrome, it is caused by minimal change disease about half the time. It can also occur in adults but accounts for less than 20% of adults diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome. Among children less than 10 years of age, boys seem to be more likely to develop minimal change disease than girls. Minimal change disease is being seen with increasing frequency in adults over the age of 80.
People with one or more autoimmune disorders are at increased risk of developing minimal change disease. Having minimal change disease also increases the chances of developing other autoimmune disorders.
Von Hippel–Lindau disease (VHL), also known as Familial cerebello retinal angiomatosis, is a rare genetic disorder with multisystem involvement. It is characterized by visceral cysts and benign tumors with potential for subsequent malignant transformation. It is a type of phakomatosis that results from a mutation in the von Hippel–Lindau tumor suppressor gene on chromosome 3p25.3.
Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs; ) are a group of about 50 rare inherited metabolic disorders that result from defects in lysosomal function. Lysosomes are sacs of enzymes within cells that digest large molecules and pass the fragments on to other parts of the cell for recycling. This process requires several critical enzymes. If one of these enzymes is defective, because of a mutation, the large molecules accumulate within the cell, eventually killing it.
Lysosomal storage disorders are caused by lysosomal dysfunction usually as a consequence of deficiency of a single enzyme required for the metabolism of lipids, glycoproteins (sugar-containing proteins), or so-called mucopolysaccharides. Individually, LSDs occur with incidences of less than 1:100,000; however, as a group, the incidence is about 1:5,000 - 1:10,000. Most of these disorders are autosomal recessively inherited such as Niemann–Pick disease, type C, but a few are X-linked recessively inherited, such as Fabry disease and Hunter syndrome (MPS II).
The lysosome is commonly referred to as the cell's recycling center because it processes unwanted material into substances that the cell can use. Lysosomes break down this unwanted matter by enzymes, highly specialized proteins essential for survival. Lysosomal disorders are usually triggered when a particular enzyme exists in too small an amount or is missing altogether. When this happens, substances accumulate in the cell. In other words, when the lysosome does not function normally, excess products destined for breakdown and recycling are stored in the cell.
Like other genetic disorders, individuals inherit lysosomal storage diseases from their parents. Although each disorder results from different gene mutations that translate into a deficiency in enzyme activity, they all share a common biochemical characteristic – all lysosomal disorders originate from an abnormal accumulation of substances inside the lysosome.
LSDs affect mostly children and they often die at a young and unpredictable age, many within a few months or years of birth. Many other children die of this disease following years of suffering from various symptoms of their particular disorder.
Tay–Sachs disease is a genetic disorder that results in the destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The most common type, known as infantile Tay–Sachs disease, becomes apparent around three to six months of age with the baby losing the ability to turn over, sit, or crawl. This is then followed by seizures, hearing loss, and inability to move. Death usually occurs in early childhood. Less commonly the disease may occur in later childhood or adulthood. These forms are generally milder in nature.
Tay–Sachs disease is caused by a genetic mutation in the "HEXA" genes on chromosome 15. It is inherited from a person's parents in an autosomal recessive manner. The mutation results in problems with an enzyme called beta-hexosaminidase A which results in the buildup of the molecule GM2 ganglioside within cells, leading to toxicity. Diagnosis is by measuring the blood hexosaminidase A level or genetic testing. It is a type of sphingolipidoses.
The treatment of Tay–Sachs disease is supportive in nature. This may involve multiple specialities as well as psychosocial support for the family. The disease is rare in the general population. In Ashkenazi Jews, French Canadians of southeastern Quebec, and Cajuns of southern Louisiana, the condition is more common. Approximately 1 in 3,600 Ashkenazi Jews at birth are affected.
The disease is named after Waren Tay, who in 1881 first described a symptomatic red spot on the retina of the eye; and Bernard Sachs, who described in 1887 the cellular changes and noted an increased rate of disease in Ashkenazi Jews. Carriers of a single Tay–Sachs allele are typically normal. It has been hypothesized that being a carrier may confer protection from another condition such as tuberculosis, explaining the persistence of the allele in certain populations. Researchers are looking at gene therapy or enzyme replacement therapy as possible treatments.
Refsum disease, also known as classic or adult Refsum disease, heredopathia atactica polyneuritiformis, phytanic acid oxidase deficiency and phytanic acid storage disease, is an autosomal recessive neurological disease that results from the over-accumulation of phytanic acid in cells and tissues. It is one of several disorders named after Norwegian neurologist Sigvald Bernhard Refsum (1907–1991). Refsum disease typically is adolescent onset and is diagnosed by above average levels of phytanic acid. Humans obtain the necessary phytanic acid primarily through diet. It is still unclear what function phytanic acid plays physiologically in humans, but has been found to regulate fatty acid metabolism in the liver of mice.
In ruminant animals, the gut fermentation of consumed plant materials liberates phytol, a constituent of chlorophyll, which is then converted to phytanic acid and stored in fats. Although humans cannot derive significant amounts of phytanic acid from the consumption of chlorophyll present in plant materials, it has been proposed that the great apes (bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans) can derive significant amounts of phytanic acid from the hindgut fermentation of plant materials.
There are no specific treatments for lipid storage disorders; however, there are some highly effective enzyme replacement therapies for people with type 1 Gaucher disease and some patients with type 3 Gaucher disease. There are other treatments such as the prescription of certain drugs like phenytoin and carbamazepine to treat pain for patients with Fabry disease. Furthermore, gene thereapies and bone marrow transplantation may prove to be effective for certain lipid storage disorders. Diet restrictions do not help prevent the buildup of lipids in the tissues.