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Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency (THBD, BHD), also called THB or BH deficiency, is a rare metabolic disorder that increases the blood levels of phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is an amino acid obtained through the diet. It is found in all proteins and in some artificial sweeteners. If tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency is not treated, excess phenylalanine can build up to harmful levels in the body, causing intellectual disability and other serious health problems.
High levels of phenylalanine are present from infancy in people with untreated tetrahydrobiopterin (THB, BH) deficiency. The resulting signs and symptoms range from mild to severe. Mild complications may include temporary low muscle tone. Severe complications include intellectual disability, movement disorders, difficulty swallowing, seizures, behavioral problems, progressive problems with development, and an inability to control body temperature.
It was first characterized in 1975.
A variety of neurological symptoms have been associated with carnosinemia. They include: hypotonia, developmental delay, mental retardation, degeneration of axons, sensory neuropathy, tremors, demyelinization, gray matter anomalies, myoclonic seizures, and loss of purkinje fibers.
People with methylmalonyl CoA mutase deficiency exhibit many symptoms similar to other diseases involving inborn errors of metabolism. Sometimes the symptoms appear shortly after birth, but other times the onset of symptoms is later.
Newborn babies experience with vomiting, acidosis, hyperammonemia, hepatomegaly (enlarged livers), hyperglycinemia (high glycine levels), and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Later, cases of thrombocytopenia and neutropenia can occur.
In some cases intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as autism, were noted with increased frequency in populations with methylmalonyl-CoA mutase deficiency.
Carnosinemia, also called carnosinase deficiency or aminoacyl-histidine dipeptidase deficiency, is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of "carnosinase", a dipeptidase (a type of enzyme that splits dipeptides into their two amino acid constituents).
Carnosine is a dipeptide composed of beta-alanine and histidine, and is found in skeletal muscle and cells of the nervous system. This disorder results in an excess of carnosine in the urine, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood and nervous tissue. Neurological disorders associated with a deficiency of carnosinase, and the resulting carnosinemia ("carnosine in the blood") are common.
This disorder causes neurological problems, including mental retardation, brain atrophy and ventricular dilation, myoclonus, hypotonia, and epilepsy.
It is also associated with growth retardation, megaloblastic anemia, pectus excavatum, scoliosis, vomiting, diarrhea, and hepatosplenomegaly.
This defect leads to a multi-systemic disorder of the connective tissue, muscles, central nervous system (CNS), and cardiovascular system. Homocystinuria represents a group of hereditary metabolic disorders characterized by an accumulation of the amino acid homocysteine in the serum and an increased excretion of homocysteine in the urine. Infants appear to be normal and early symptoms, if any are present, are vague.
Signs and symptoms of homocystinuria that may be seen include the following:
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).
Hartnup disease manifests during infancy with variable clinical presentation: failure to thrive, photosensitivity, intermittent ataxia, nystagmus, and tremor.
Nicotinamide is necessary for neutral amino acid transporter production in the proximal renal tubules found in the kidney, and intestinal mucosal cells found in the small intestine. Therefore, a symptom stemming from this disorder results in increased amounts of amino acids in the urine.
Pellagra, a similar condition, is also caused by low nicotinamide; this disorder results in dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia.
Hartnup disease is a disorder of amino acid transport in the intestine and kidneys; otherwise, the intestine and kidneys function normally, and the effects of the disease occur mainly in the brain and skin. Symptoms may begin in infancy or early childhood, but sometimes they begin as late as early adulthood. Symptoms may be triggered by sunlight, fever, drugs, or emotional or physical stress. A period of poor nutrition nearly always precedes an attack. The attacks usually become progressively less frequent with age. Most symptoms occur sporadically and are caused by a deficiency of niacinamide. A rash develops on parts of the body exposed to the sun. Mental retardation, short stature, headaches, unsteady gait, and collapsing or fainting are common. Psychiatric problems (such as anxiety, rapid mood changes, delusions, and hallucinations) may also result.
The signs and symptoms of beta-ketothiolase deficiency include vomiting, dehydration, trouble breathing, extreme tiredness, and occasionally convulsions. These episodes are called ketoacidotic attacks and can sometimes lead to coma. Attacks occur when compounds called organic acids (which are formed as products of amino acid and fat breakdown) build up to toxic levels in the blood. These attacks are often triggered by an infection, fasting (not eating), or in some cases, other types of stress.
Signs and symptoms of CTLN1 in infants are caused by increasing levels of ammonia in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid and include excessive vomiting, anorexia, refusal to eat, irritability, increased intracranial pressure, and worsening lethargy, seizures, hypotonia, respiratory distress, hepatomegaly, and cerebral edema. These symptoms appear within days of birth in the more severe forms of the disease with complete deficiency of the enzyme. As ammonia accumulates further, the affected infant may enter a hyperammonemic coma, which indicates neurological damage and can cause developmental delays, cognitive disabilities, cerebral palsy, hypertonia, spasticity, ankle clonus, seizures, and liver failure.
Milder forms of the disease are caused by partial arginosuccinate synthetase deficiency and may manifest in childhood or in adulthood. Symptoms of mild CTLN1 include failure to thrive, avoidance of high-protein foods, ataxia, worsening lethargy, and vomiting. Hyperammonemic coma can still develop in these people. CTLN1 can also develop in the perinatal period.
The symptoms are visible within the first week of life and if not detected and diagnosed correctly immediately consequences are fatal.
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.
Copper deficiency can cause a wide variety of neurological problems including, myelopathy, peripheral neuropathy, and optic neuropathy.
The presentation of mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency may begin during infancy, features that occur are: low blood sugar, weak muscle tone, and liver problems. Infants with this disorder are at risk for heart problems, breathing difficulties, and pigmentary retinopathy. Signs and symptoms of mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency that may begin "after" infancy include hypotonia, muscle pain, a breakdown of muscle tissue, and a loss of sensation in the extremities called peripheral neuropathy. Some who have MTP deficiency show a progressive course associated with myopathy, and recurrent rhabdomyolysis.
The initial affected individual described in 1986 had a complex phenotype, and was later found to have both beta-mannosidosis and Sanfilippo syndrome. People have been described with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations from infants and children with intellectual disability to adults who present with isolated skin findings (angiokeratomas). Most cases are identified in the first year of life with respiratory infections, hearing loss and intellectual disability. Because of its rarity, and non-specific clinical findings, beta-mannosidosis can go undiagnosed until adulthood, where it can present with intellectual disability and behavioral problems, including aggression.
Another common symptom of copper deficiency is peripheral neuropathy, which is numbness or tingling that can start in the extremities and can sometimes progress radially inward towards the torso. In an Advances in Clinical Neuroscience & Rehabilitation (ACNR) published case report, a 69-year-old patient had progressively worsened neurological symptoms. These symptoms included diminished upper limb reflexes with abnormal lower limb reflexes, sensation to light touch and pin prick was diminished above the waist, vibration sensation was lost in the sternum, and markedly reduced proprioception or sensation about the self’s orientation. Many people suffering from the neurological effects of copper deficiency complain about very similar or identical symptoms as the patient. This numbness and tingling poses danger for the elderly because it increases their risk of falling and injuring themselves. Peripheral neuropathy can become very disabling leaving some patients dependent on wheel chairs or walking canes for mobility if there is lack of correct diagnosis. Rarely can copper deficiency cause major disabling symptoms. The deficiency will have to be present for an extensive amount of time until such disabling conditions manifest.
In undiagnosed and untreated children, the accumulation of precursor metabolites due to the deficient activity of galactose 1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (GALT) can lead to feeding problems, failure to thrive, liver damage, bleeding, and infections. The first presenting symptom in an infant is often prolonged jaundice. Without intervention in the form of galactose restriction, infants can develop hyperammonemia and sepsis, possibly leading to shock. The accumulation of galactitol and subsequent osmotic swelling can lead to cataracts which are similar to those seen in galactokinase deficiency. Long-term consequences of continued galactose intake can include developmental delay, developmental verbal dyspraxia, and motor abnormalities. Galactosemic females frequently suffer from ovarian failure, regardless of treatment in the form of galactose restriction.
Classical homocystinuria, also known as cystathionine beta synthase deficiency or CBS deficiency, is an inherited disorder of the metabolism of the amino acid methionine, often involving cystathionine beta synthase. It is an inherited autosomal recessive trait, which means a child needs to inherit a copy of the defective gene from both parents to be affected.
Often symptoms will arise that indicate the body is not absorbing or making the lipoproteins that it needs. These symptoms usually appear "en masse", meaning that they happen all together, all the time. These symptoms come as follows:
- Failure to thrive/Failure to grow in infancy
- Steatorrhea/Fatty, pale stools
- Frothy stools
- Foul smelling stools
- Protruding abdomen
- Intellectual disability/developmental delay
- Developmental coordination disorder, evident by age ten
- Muscle weakness
- Slurred speech
- Scoliosis (curvature of the spine)
- Progressive decreased vision
- Balance and coordination problems
Beta-ketothiolase deficiency is a rare, autosomal recessive metabolic disorder in which the body cannot properly process the amino acid isoleucine or the products of lipid breakdown.
The typical age of onset for this disorder is between 6 months and 24 months.
Mannosidosis is a deficiency in mannosidase, an enzyme.
There are two types:
- Alpha-mannosidosis
- Beta-mannosidosis
Beta-mannosidosis, also called lysosomal beta-mannosidase deficiency, is a disorder of oligosaccharide metabolism caused by decreased activity of the enzyme beta-mannosidase. This enzyme is coded for by the gene "MANBA", located at 4q22-25. Beta-mannosidosis is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. Affected individuals appear normal at birth, and can have a variable clinical presentation. Infantile onset forms show severe neurodegeneration, while some children have intellectual disability. Hearing loss and angiokeratomas are common features of the disease.
N-Acetylglutamate synthase (or synthetase) deficiency is an autosomal recessive urea cycle disorder.
Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase is a mitochondrial homodimer apoenzyme (EC. 5. 4.99.2) that focuses on the catalysis of methylmalonyl CoA to succinyl CoA. The enzyme is bound to adenosylcobalamin, a hormonal derivative of vitamin B12 in order to function. Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase deficiency is caused by genetic defect in the MUT gene responsible for encoding the enzyme. Deficiency in this enzyme accounts for 60% of the cases of methylmalonic acidemia.
Citrullinemia type I (CTLN1), also known as arginosuccinate synthetase deficiency, is a rare disease caused by a deficiency in argininosuccinate synthetase, an enzyme involved in excreting excess nitrogen from the body. There are mild and severe forms of the disease, which is one of the urea cycle disorders.