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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.
Depending on the affected gene(s), this disorder may present symptoms that range from mild to life-threatening.
- Stroke
- Progressive encephalopathy
- Seizure
- Kidney failure
- Vomiting
- Dehydration
- Failure to thrive and developmental delays
- Lethargy
- Repeated Yeast infections
- Acidosis
- Hepatomegaly
- Hypotonia
- Pancreatitis
- Respiratory distress
A characteristic feature of isovaleric acidemia is a distinctive odor of sweaty feet. This odor is caused by the buildup of a compound called isovaleric acid in affected individuals.
In about half of cases, the signs and symptoms of this disorder become apparent within a few days after birth and include poor feeding, vomiting, seizures, and lack of energy that can progress to coma. These medical problems are typically severe and can be life-threatening. In the other half of cases, the signs and symptoms of the disorder appear during childhood and may come and go over time. They are often triggered by an infection or by eating an increased amount of protein-rich foods.
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.
Presenting in infancy, symptoms include lack of appetite, vomiting, dehydration, hypotonia and failure to thrive.
Infants with this disease seem healthy at birth but quickly deteriorate, often with severe brain damage, which may be permanent. Death often occurs within the first five months in severe cases of the disease, when left untreated.
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.
The disease is named for the presence of sweet-smelling urine, an odor similar to that of maple syrup, when the person goes into metabolic crisis. The smell is also present and sometimes stronger in the ear wax of an affected individual at these times. In populations to whom maple syrup is unfamiliar, the aroma can be likened to fenugreek, and fenugreek ingestion may impart the aroma to urine.
Methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), also called methylmalonic aciduria, is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder. It is a classical type of organic acidemia. The result of this condition is the inability to properly digest specific fats and proteins, which in turn leads to a buildup of a toxic level of methylmalonic acid in the blood.
Methylmalonic acidemia stems from several genotypes, all forms of the disorder usually diagnosed in the early neonatal period, presenting progressive encephalopathy, and secondary hyperammonemia. The disorder can result in death if undiagnosed or left untreated. It is estimated that this disorder has a frequency of 1 in 48,000 births, though the high mortality rate in diagnosed cases make exact determination difficult. Methylmalonic acidemias are found with an equal frequency across ethnic boundaries.
Symptoms of congenital Type III Galactosemia are apparent from birth, but vary in severity depending on whether the peripheral or generalized disease form is present. Symptoms may include:
- Infantile jaundice
- Infantile hypotonia
- Dysmorphic features
- Sensorineural hearing loss
- Impaired growth
- Cognitive deficiencies
- Depletion of cerebellar Purkinje cells
- Ovarian failure (POI) and hypertrophic hypergonadism
- Liver failure
- Renal failure
- Splenomegaly
- Cataracts
Studies of Type III galactosemia symptoms are mostly descriptive, and precise pathogenic mechanisms remain unknown. This is largely due to a lack of functional animal models of classic galactosemia. The recent development of a "Drosophila melanogaster" GALE mutant exhibiting galactosemic symptoms may yield a promising future animal model.
Propionic acidemia is characterized almost immediately in newborns. Symptoms include poor feeding, vomiting, dehydration, acidosis, low muscle tone (hypotonia), seizures, and lethargy. The effects of propionic acidemia quickly become life-threatening.
SBCADD is included as a secondary target condition in most newborn screening programs, as the key analyte is the same as is used to identify isovaleric acidemia. Most cases have been Hmong individuals, who are asymptomatic. There are isolated case reports where individuals have been identified with SBCADD in addition to developmental delay and epilepsy. It is currently unclear what the complete clinical presentation of SBCADD looks like. There is some concern that these cases with additional symptoms may reflect an ascertainment bias rather than being a true representation of the clinical spectrum of the disease. Currently, there is no accepted treatment, as most affected individuals do not require any. Some recommend avoidance of valproic acid, as it can be a substrate for 2-methylbutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase.
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.
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.
Typically, initial signs and symptoms of this disorder occur during infancy and include low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), lack of energy (lethargy), and muscle weakness. There is also a high risk of complications such as liver abnormalities and life-threatening heart problems. Symptoms that begin later in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood tend to be milder and usually do not involve heart problems. Episodes of very long-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency can be triggered by periods of fasting, illness, and exercise.
It is common for babies and children with the early and childhood types of VLCADD to have episodes of illness called metabolic crises. Some of the first symptoms of a metabolic crisis are: extreme sleepiness, behavior changes, irritable mood, poor appetite.
Some of these other symptoms of VLCADD in infants may also follow: fever, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, hypoglycemia.
Isovaleric acidemia is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder which disrupts or prevents normal metabolism of the branched-chain amino acid leucine. It is a classical type of organic acidemia.
Neurologic signs and symptoms include progressively delayed development, weak muscle tone (hypotonia), seizures, and abnormal movements. The body's network of blood vessels is also affected. Children with this disorder may experience rashes of tiny red spots (petechiae) caused by bleeding under the skin and blue discoloration in the hands and feet due to reduced oxygen in the blood (acrocyanosis). Chronic diarrhea is another common feature of ethylmalonic encephalopathy. EE is often identified by urine organic acid analysis, the excretion of ethylmalonic acid, methylsuccinic acid, isobutyrylglycine and isovalerylglucine. Patients will also often have elevated thiosulphate concentration in their urine.
The signs and symptoms of ethylmalonic encephalopathy are apparent at birth or begin in the first few months of life. Problems with the nervous system typically worsen over time, and most affected individuals survive only into early childhood. A few children with a milder, chronic form of this disorder have been reported, and there can be considerable phenotypic variation, even within families. The life expectancy of individuals with EE is less than ten years.
Galactose epimerase deficiency, also known as GALE deficiency, Galactosemia III and UDP-galactose-4-epimerase deficiency, is a rare, autosomal recessive form of galactosemia associated with a deficiency of the enzyme "galactose epimerase".
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
Hypertryptophanemia, also called familial hypertryptophanemia, is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder that results in a massive buildup of the amino acid tryptophan in the blood, with associated symptoms and tryptophanuria ("-uria" denotes "in the urine").
Elevated levels of tryptophan are also seen in Hartnup disease, a disorder of amino acid transport. However, the increase of tryptophan in that disorder is negligible when compared to that of hypertryptophanemia.
Signs and symptoms of a biotinidase deficiency can appear several days after birth. These include seizures, hypotonia and muscle/limb weakness, ataxia, paresis, hearing loss, optic atrophy, skin rashes (including seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis), and alopecia. If left untreated, the disorder can rapidly lead to coma and death.
Biotinidase deficiency can also appear later in life. This is referred to as "late-onset" biotinidase deficiency. The symptoms are similar, but perhaps more mild, because if an individual survives the neonatal period they likely have some residual activity of biotin-related enzymes. Studies have noted individuals who were asymptomatic until adolescence or early adulthood. One study pointed out that untreated individuals may not show symptoms until age 21. Furthermore, in rare cases, even individuals with profound deficiencies of biotinidase can be asymptomatic.
Symptom severity is predictably correlated with the severity of the enzyme defect. Profound biotinidase deficiency refers to situations where enzyme activity is 10% or less. Individuals with partial biotinidase deficiency may have enzyme activity of 10-30%.
Functionally, there is no significant difference between dietary biotin deficiency and genetic loss of biotin-related enzyme activity. In both cases, supplementation with biotin can often restore normal metabolic function and proper catabolism of leucine and isoleucine.
The symptoms of biotinidase deficiency (and dietary deficiency of biotin) can be quite severe. A 2004 case study from Metametrix detailed the effects of biotin deficiency, including aggression, cognitive delay, and reduced immune function.
If a metabolic crisis is not treated, a child with VLCADD can develop: breathing problems, seizures, coma, sometimes leading to death.
Galactokinase deficiency, also known as Galactosemia type 2 or GALK deficiency, is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder marked by an accumulation of galactose and galactitol secondary to the decreased conversion of galactose to galactose-1-phosphate by galactokinase. The disorder is caused by mutations in the GALK1 gene, located on chromosome 17q24. Galactokinase catalyzes the first step of galactose phosphorylation in the Leloir pathway of intermediate metabolism. Galactokinase deficiency is one of the three inborn errors of metabolism that lead to hypergalactosemia. The disorder is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. Unlike classic galactosemia, which is caused by deficiency of galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase, galactokinase deficiency does not present with severe manifestations in early infancy. Its major clinical symptom is the development of cataracts during the first weeks or months of life, as a result of the accumulation, in the lens, of galactitol, a product of an alternative route of galactose utilization. The development of early cataracts in homozygous affected infants is fully preventable through early diagnosis and treatment with a galactose-restricted diet. Some studies have suggested that, depending on milk consumption later in life, heterozygous carriers of galactokinase deficiency may be prone to presenile cataracts at 20–50 years of age.
Galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase deficiency, also called galactosemia type 1, classic galactosemia or GALT deficiency, is the most common type of galactosemia, an inborn error of galactose metabolism, caused by a deficiency of the enzyme galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase. It is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder that can cause liver disease and death if untreated. Treatment of galactosemia is most successful if initiated early and includes dietary restriction of lactose intake. Because early intervention is key, galactosemia is included in newborn screening programs in many areas. On initial screening, which often involves measuring the concentration of galactose in blood, classic galactosemia may be indistinguishable from other inborn errors of galactose metabolism, including galactokinase deficiency and galactose epimerase deficiency. Further analysis of metabolites and enzyme activities are needed to identify the specific metabolic error.
Hypervalinemia, also called valinemia or valine transaminase deficiency, is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder in which urinary and serum levels of the branched-chain amino acid valine are elevated, without related elevation of the branched-chain amino acids leucine and isoleucine. It is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme valine transaminase.