Hartnup disease masked by kwashiorkor

Inborn Errors of Metabolism Associated With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Approaches to Intervention

Increasing evidence suggests that the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be associated with inborn errors of metabolism, such as disorders of amino acid metabolism and transport [phenylketonuria, homocystinuria, S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency, branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase kinase deficiency, urea cycle disorders (UCD), Hartnup disease], organic acidurias (propionic aciduria, L-2 hydroxyglutaric aciduria), cholesterol biosynthesis defects (Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome), mitochondrial disorders (mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes-MELAS syndrome), neurotransmitter disorders (succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency), disorders of purine metabolism [adenylosuccinate lyase (ADSL) deficiency, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome], cerebral creatine deficiency syndromes (CCDSs), disorders of folate transport and metabolism (cerebral folate deficiency, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency), lysosomal storage disorders [Sanfilippo syndrome, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL), Niemann-Pick disease type C], cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX), disorders of copper metabolism (Wilson disease), disorders of haem biosynthesis [acute intermittent porphyria (AIP)] and brain iron accumulation diseases. In this review, we briefly describe etiology, clinical presentation, and therapeutic principles, if they exist, for these conditions. Additionally, we suggest the primary and elective laboratory work-up for their successful early diagnosis.

Study of Seizure-Manifested Hartnup Disorder Case Induced By Novel Mutations in SLC6A19

AIM

The aim of the study is to investigate a variation in the gene SLC6A19 in a female patient with Hartnup disorder manifested only by seizure.

METHODS

DNA samples collected from the patient and her parents were analyzed and twelve exons of the SLC6A19 gene were amplified and sequenced.

RESULTS

We found c.47C>T and c.1522G>A mutations in the gene SLC6A19 belonging to the patient, which are missense mutations inherited from her parents. The c.47C>T mutation is from her father and c.1522G>A is inherited from her mother. The parents are both heterozygous healthy carriers.

CONCLUSION

Two novel mutations of the SLC6A19 gene are revealed in the female patient with Hartnup disorder, exhibiting no typical dermatologic problems, but having dramatic neurological symptoms.