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Most individuals with SBCADD are identified through newborn screening, where they present with an elevation of a five carbon acylcarnitine species. Confirmatory testing includes plasma and urine analysis to identify the carnitine and glycine conjugates of 2-methylbutyryl-CoA.
Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid levels of pipecolic acid are frequently elevated in patients with PDE, though it is a non-specific biomarker. α-aminodipic semialdehyde is elevated in urine and plasma and is a more specific biomarker for PDE. Improvements in these biomarkers have been reported with the implementation of a lysine-restricted diet. Initial studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of lysine restriction evaluated developmental and cognitive outcomes by age-appropriate tests and parental observations.
There is a deficiency of malate in patients because fumarase enzyme can't convert fumarate into it therefore treatment is with oral malic acid which will allow the krebs cycle to continue, and eventually make ATP.
Diagnostic methods
Diagnosis is based mainly on clinical findings and laboratory test results. Plasma concentrations of ammonia (>150 µmol/L) and citrulline (200-300 µmol/L) are elevated. Elevated levels of argininosuccinic acid (5-110 µmol/L) in the plasma or urine are diagnostic. Molecular genetic testing confirms diagnosis. Newborn screening for ASA is available in the U.S. and parts of Australia, and is considered in several European countries<
Clinically, MCADD or another fatty acid oxidation disorder is suspected in individuals who present with lethargy, seizures, coma and hypoketotic hypoglycemia, particularly if triggered by a minor illness. MCADD can also present with acute liver disease and hepatomegaly, which can lead to a misdiagnosis of Reye syndrome. In some individuals, the only manifestation of MCADD is sudden, unexplained death often preceded by a minor illness that would not usually be fatal.
In areas with expanded newborn screening using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), MCADD is usually detected shortly after birth, by the analysis of blood spots collected on filter paper. Acylcarnitine profiles with MS/MS will show a very characteristic pattern of elevated hexanoylcarnitine (C6), octanoylcarnitine (C8), decanoylcarnitine (C10) or decenoylcarnitine (C10:1), with C8 being greater than C6 and C10. Secondary carnitine deficiency is sometimes seen with MCADD, and in these cases, acylcarnitine profiles may not be informative. Urine organic acid analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) will show a pattern of dicarboxylic aciduria with low levels of ketones. Traces of acylglycine species may also be detected. Asymptomatic individuals may have normal biochemical lab results. For these individuals, targeted analysis of acylglycine species by GC-MS, specifically hexanoylglycine and suberylglycine can be diagnostic. After biochemical suspicion of MCADD, molecular genetic analysis of "ACADM" can be used to confirm the diagnosis. The analysis of MCAD activity in cultured fibroblasts can also be used for diagnosis.
In cases of sudden death where the preceding illness would not usually have been fatal, MCADD is often suspected. The autopsy will often show fatty deposits in the liver. In cases where MCADD is suspected, acylcarnitine analysis of bile and blood can be undertaken postmortem for diagnosis. Where samples are not available, residual blood from newborn screening may be helpful. Biochemical testing of asymptomatic siblings and parents may also be informative. MCADD and other fatty acid oxidation disorders have been recognized in recent years as undiagnosed causes of sudden infant death syndrome.
A 2006 study of 279 patients found that of those with symptoms (185, 66%), 95% had suffered an encephalopathic crises usually with following brain damage. Of the persons in the study, 49 children died and the median age of death was 6.6 years. A Kaplan-Meier analysis of the data estimated that about 50% of symptomatic cases would die by the age of 25.
Detection of the disorder is possible with an organic acid analysis of the urine. Patients with SSADH deficiency will excrete high levels of GHB but this can be difficult to measure since GHB has high volatility and may be obscured on gas chromatography or mass spectrometry studies by a high urea peak. Other GABA metabolites can also be identified in urine such as glycine. Finally, succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase levels can be measured in cultured leukocytes of the patient. This occurs due to the accumulation of 4,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid which is normally undetectable in mammalian tissues but is characteristic of SSADH deficiency. This agent can eventually compromise the pathways of fatty acid, glycine, and pyruvate metabolism, and then become detectable in patients' leukocytes. Such enzyme levels can also be compared to non-affected parents and siblings.
Less than 20 patients with MGA type I have been reported in the literature (Mol Genet Metab. 2011 Nov;104(3):410-3. Epub 2011 Jul 26.)
Due to the rarity of the disease, it is hard to estimate mortality rates or life expectancy. One 2003 study which followed 88 cases receiving two different kinds of treatment found that very few persons lived beyond age 20 and none beyond age 30.
The treatment of 2-Hydroxyglutaric aciduria is based on seizure control, the prognosis depends on how severe the condition is.
Stress caused by infection, fever or other demands on the body may lead to worsening of the signs and symptoms, with only partial recovery.
Human findings provide insufficient data for developing treatments due to differences in the patients physiological and metabolic disorders thus, a suitable alternative animal model is essential in obtaining a better understanding of the SR deficiency. In this particular case, researchers used silkworms to identify and characterize mutations relating to SPR activity from an initial purified state created in the larvae of the silkworm. The researchers used genetic and biochemical approaches to demonstrate oral administration of BH and dopamine which increased the survival rates of the silkworm larvae. The results indicate that BH deficiency in silkworms leads to death in response to the lack of dopamine. This shows that silkworms can be useful insect models in additional SR deficiency research and study.
1) Detection of orotic acid in urine
2) Deficiency of Enzymes orotate phosphoribosyl transferase and OMP decarboxylase
A 1994 study of the entire population of New South Wales (Australia) found 20 patients. Of these, 5 (25%) had died at or before 30 months of age. Of the survivors, 1 (5%) was severely disabled and the remainder had either suffered mild disability or were making normal progress in school. A 2006 Dutch study followed 155 cases and found that 27 individuals (17%) had died at an early age. Of the survivors, 24 (19%) suffered from some degree of disability, of which most were mild. All the 18 patients diagnosed neonatally were alive at the time of the follow-up.
There is no treatment for MKD. But, the inflammation and the other effects can be reduced to a certain extent.
- IL-1 targeting drugs can be used to reduce the effects of the disorder. Anakinra is antagonist to IL-1 receptors. Anakinra binds the IL-1 receptor, preventing the actions of both IL-1α and IL-1β, and it has been proved to reduce the clinical and biochemical inflammation in MKD. It can effectively decreases the frequency as well as the severity of inflammatory attacks when used on a daily basis. Disadvantages with the usage of this drug are occurrence of painful injection site reaction and as the drug is discontinued in the near future the febrile attacks start. (Examined in a 12-year-old patient).
- Canakinumab is a long acting monoclonal antibody which is directed against IL-1β has shown to be effective in reducing both frequency and severity in patients suffering from mild and severe MKD in case reports and observational case series. It reduces the physiological effects but the biochemical parameter still remain elevated (Galeotti et al. demonstrated that it is more effective than anakinra –considered 6 patients suffering from MKD).
- Anti-TNF therapy might be effective in MKD, but the effect is mostly partial and therapy failure and clinical deterioration have been described frequently in patients on infliximab or etanercept. A beneficial effect of human monoclonal anti-TNFα antibody adalimumab was seen in a small number of MKD patients.
- Most MKD patients are benefited by anti-IL-1 therapy. However, anti-IL-1-resistant disease may also occur. Example. tocilizumab (a humanized monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor). This drug is used when the patients are unresponsive towards Anakinra. (Shendi et al. treated a young woman in whom anakinra was ineffective with tocilizumab). It was found that it was effective in reducing the biochemical and clinical inflammation [30].Stoffels et al. observed reduction of frequency and severity of the inflammatory attacks, although after several months of treatment one of these two patients persistently showed mild inflammatory symptoms in the absence of biochemical inflammatory markers.
- A beneficial effect of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be used in severe mevalonate kinase deficiency conditions (Improvement of cerebral myelinisation on MRI after allogenic stem cell transplantation was observed in one girl). But, liver transplantation did not influence febrile attacks in this patient.
Patients with PDE do not respond to anticonvulsant medications, but seizures rapidly cease with therapeutic intravenous doses of Vitamin B6 and remission from seizures are often maintained on daily therapeutic doses of Vitamin B6. An optimal dose has not yet been established, but doses of 50–100 mg/day or 15–30 mg/kg/day have been proposed. Importantly, excessive doses of vitamin B6 can result in irreversible neurological damage, and therefore several guidelines recommend 500 mg per day as the maximal daily dose.
Despite remission of seizure activity with vitamin B6 supplementation, intellectual disability is frequently seen in patients with PDE. Because the affected enzyme antiquitin is involved in the cerebral lysine degradation pathway, lysine restriction as an additional treatment modality has recently been explored. Studies have been published which demonstrate potential for improved biomarkers, development, and behavior in patients treated with lysine restriction in addition to pyridoxine supplementation. In trial, lysine restriction of 70–100 mg/kg/day in children less than 1 year of age, 45–80 mg/kg/day in children between 1–7 years of age, and 20–45 mg/kg/day in children older than 7 years of age were prescribed. Despite the potential of additional benefit from lysine restriction, vitamin B6 supplementation remains the main-stay of treatment given lack of studies thus far demonstrating the safety and efficacy of lysine restriction for this purpose.
The diagnosis of SR deficiency is based on the analysis of the pterins and biogenic amines found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the brain. The pterin compound functions as a cofactor in enzyme catalysis and biogenic amines which include adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin have functions that vary from the control of homeostasis to the management of cognitive tasks. This analysis reveals decreased concentrations of homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (HIAA), and elevated levels of 7,8-dihydrobiopterin, a compound produced in the synthesis of neurotransmitters. Sepiapterin is not detected by the regularly used methods applied in the investigation of biogenic monoamines metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid. It must be determined by specialized methods that work by indicating a marked and abnormal increase of sepiapterin in cerebrospinal fluid. Confirmation of the diagnosis occurs by demonstrating high levels of CSF sepiapterin and a marked decrease of SR activity of the fibroblasts along with SPR gene molecular analysis.
Cranial computed topography, magnetic resonance imaging, and flurodeoxyglucose positron emission topography are just some of the neuroimaging modalities that have been used to diagnose patients with SSADH deficiency. On the basis of 29 previously published cases that had imaging results available, there were some common abnormalities found. These included increased T2-weighted signal abnormalities involving the globus pallidi bilaterally and symmetrically as well as the presence of subcortical white matter. Similar abnormalities have been identified in the brainstem and cerebellar dentate nucleus.
Signal intensity on a T2 image may be a result of edema or an inflammatory response. Because this type of imaging is a water detecting sequence, any form of calcification or mineralization would also appear dark, thus explaining why accumulation of extra blood or fluid would appear bright on a T2 image. Another explanation for signal intensity may be demyelination since the globus pallidi are traversed by a number of myelinated axons, thus confirming Ren and Mody’s 2003 work proving that repeated exposure of GHB to MAP kinase affected myelin expression, thus causing the numerous neurological dysfunctions seen in SSADH deficiency patients. Ultimately, because the globus pallidus is intimately linked with the basal ganglia and thalamus, it would be expected that some of the motor dysfunctions seen in SSADH patients such as ataxia and hyporeflexia would be common.
Mevalonate kinase deficiency causes an accumulation of mevalonic acid in the urine, resulting from insufficient activity of the enzyme mevalonate kinase (ATP:mevalonate 5-phosphotransferase; EC 2.7.1.36).
The disorder was first described in 1985.
Classified as an inborn error of metabolism, mevalonate kinase deficiency usually results in developmental delay, hypotonia, anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, various dysmorphic features, mental retardation, an overall failure to thrive and several other features.
Fumarase deficiency is extremely rare - until around 1990 there had only been 13 diagnosed and identified cases worldwide.
A cluster of 20 cases has since been documented in the twin towns of Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah among an inbred community of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
This condition is sometimes mistaken for Reye syndrome, a severe disorder that develops 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.
Administration of cytidine monophosphate and uridine monophosphate reduces urinary orotic acid and ameliorates the anemia.
Administration of uridine, which is converted to UMP, will bypass the metabolic block and provide the body with a source of pyrimidine.
Uridine triacetate is a drug approved by FDA to be used in the treatment of hereditary orotic aciduria.
Glutaric acidemia type 2 often appears in infancy as a sudden metabolic crisis, in which acidosis and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) cause weakness, behavior changes, and vomiting. There may also be enlargement of the liver, heart failure, and a characteristic odor resembling that of sweaty feet. Some infants with glutaric acidemia type 2 have birth defects, including multiple fluid-filled growths in the kidneys (polycystic kidneys). Glutaric acidemia type 2 is a very rare disorder. Its precise incidence is unknown. It has been reported in several different ethnic groups.
Patients with propionic acidemia should be started as early as possible on a low protein diet. In addition to a protein mixture that is devoid of methionine, threonine, valine, and isoleucine, the patient should also receive -carnitine treatment and should be given antibiotics 10 days per month in order to remove the intestinal propiogenic flora. The patient should have diet protocols prepared for him with a “well day diet” with low protein content, a “half emergency diet” containing half of the protein requirements, and an “emergency diet” with no protein content. These patients are under the risk of severe hyperammonemia during infections that can lead to comatose states.
Liver transplant is gaining a role in the management of these patients, with small series showing improved quality of life.
It is possible to clinically detect Alström syndrome in infancy, but more frequently, it is detected much later, as doctors tend to detect symptoms as separate problems. Currently, Alström syndrome is often diagnosed clinically, since genetic testing is costly and only available on a limited basis.
A physical examination would be needed to properly diagnose the patient. Certain physical characteristics can determine if the patient has some type of genetic disorder. Usually, a geneticist would perform the physical examination by measuring the distance around the head, distance between the eyes, and the length of arms and legs. In addition, examinations for the nervous system or the eyes may be performed. Various imaging studies like computerized tomography scans (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), or X-rays are used to see the structures within the body.
Family and personal medical history are required. Information about the health of an individual is crucial because it provides traces to a genetic diagnosis.
Laboratory tests, particularly genetic testing, are performed to diagnose genetic disorders. Some of the types of genetic testing are molecular, biochemical, and chromosomal. Other laboratory tests performed may measure levels of certain substances in urine and blood that can also help suggest a diagnosis.