Enlargement of the brachial plexus on magnetic resonance imaging: a novel finding in adult-onset Krabbe disease

A neglected neurodegenerative disease: Adult-onset globoid cell leukodystrophy

Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD), or Krabbe disease (KD) is a rare neurodegenerative disease, and adult-onset GLD is more even neglected by clinicians. This review provides detailed discussions of the serum enzymes, genes, clinical manifestations, neuroimaging features, and therapies of GLD, with particular emphasis on the characteristics of adult-onset GLD, in an attempt to provide clinicians with in-depth insights into this disease.

Novel GALC Mutations Cause Adult-Onset Krabbe Disease With Myelopathy in Two Chinese Families: Case Reports and Literature Review

Krabbe disease (KD), also referred to as globoid cell leukodystrophy, is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by β-galactocerebrosidase (GALC) deficiency. Most patients affected by this disease are infants, and <10% of cases suffer from adult-onset KD. In this study, two Chinese males presented with long-term progressive weakness in their limbs. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and spinal cord of these patients revealed lesions with abnormally high signal intensity on T2-weighted (T2W) and T2W fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. Whole-exome sequencing was performed for both patients, and four GALC mutations were identified. Case 1 carried a novel deletion mutation (p.T633Tfs^*2) and a known missense mutation (p.T529M), while case 2 carried a novel missense mutation (p.W355C) and a known missense mutation (p.P154H). Previous literature has rarely reported myelopathy in patients with KD; in this study, we report two cases of adult-onset KD who both experienced myelopathy. We also conducted a literature review of KD and its association with myelopathy. Our findings provide a better understanding of the phenotypic and genotypic profiles associated with adult-onset KD. We recommend that physicians consider KD as a possible diagnosis in cases showing progressive motor dysfunction or gait disorder in association with typical myelopathy.