Clinical Information

Lysosomes are intracellular organelles that contain hydrolytic enzymes to degrade a variety of macromolecules. Lysosomal storage disorders are a diverse group of inherited diseases where macromolecules accumulate due to defects in their transport mechanisms across the lysosomal membrane or due to defective lysosomal enzyme function. Accumulation of these macromolecules in the lysosomes leads to cell damage and, eventually, organ dysfunction. More than 50 lysosomal storage disorders have been described with a wide phenotypic spectrum.

Gaucher disease results from a deficiency of the enzyme, beta-glucosidase caused by variants in the GBA gene. Beta-glucosidase facilitates the lysosomal degradation of glucosylceramide (glucocerebroside) and glucopsychosine (glucosylsphingosine). There are 3 described types of Gaucher disease with varying clinical presentations and age of onset, from a perinatal lethal disorder to an asymptomatic type. Features of all types of Gaucher disease include hepatosplenomegaly and hematological abnormalities. Treatment is available in the form of enzyme replacement therapy, substrate reduction therapy, and chaperone therapy for types 1 and 3. Currently, only supportive therapy is available for type 2.

Niemann-Pick disease types A and B are caused by a deficiency of sphingomyelinase due to variants in the SMPD1 gene. This results in extensive storage of sphingomyelin and cholesterol in the liver, spleen, lungs, and, to a lesser degree, brain. Classification of type A versus type B is based on the age of onset as well as the severity of symptoms. Niemann-Pick type A disease is more severe than type B and characterized by early onset with feeding problems, dystrophy, persistent jaundice, development of hepatosplenomegaly, neurological deterioration, deafness, and blindness leading to death by 3 years of age. Niemann-Pick type B disease is limited to visceral symptoms with survival into adulthood. Some patients have been described with intermediary phenotypes. Characteristic of the disease are large lipid-laden foam cells. Approximately 50% of cases have cherry-red spots in the macula.  Treatment is supportive, although there are clinical trials in place.

Pompe disease, also known as glycogen storage disease type II, is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA; acid maltase) due to variants in the GAA gene. The estimated incidence is 1 in 40,000 live births. In Pompe disease, glycogen that is taken up by lysosomes during physiologic cell turnover accumulates, causing lysosomal swelling, cell damage, and, eventually, organ dysfunction. The clinical presentation of Pompe disease ranges from a rapidly progressive infantile variant, which is uniformly lethal if untreated, to a more slowly progressive late-onset variant. All disease variants are eventually associated with progressive muscle weakness and respiratory insufficiency. Cardiomyopathy is associated almost exclusively with the infantile form. Enzyme replacement therapy is available for all variants and should be started as soon as possible for patients with the infantile variant and at the first signs of muscle weakness in the later onset variants.

Krabbe disease (globoid cell leukodystrophy) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by variants in the GALC gene resulting in a deficiency of galactocerebrosidase (GALC, galactosylceramide beta-galactosidase). Galactosylceramide (as with sulfated galactosylceramide) is a lipid component of myelin. The absence of GALC results in globular, distended, multinucleated bodies in the basal ganglia, pontine nuclei, and cerebral white matter. There is severe demyelination throughout the brain with progressive cerebral degenerative disease affecting primarily the white matter. Severely affected individuals typically present between 3 to 6 months of age with increasing irritability and sensitivity to stimuli. Rapid neurodegeneration, including white matter disease, follows with death usually occurring by 2 years of age. A subset of individuals has later onset forms of the disease, which are characterized by ataxia, vision loss, weakness, and psychomotor regression. They can present anywhere from age 6 months to the seventh decade of life and, based on newborn screening experience in New York, appear to be more common than the earlier onset variants. Psychosine has been shown to be elevated in patients with clinical signs and symptoms of disease and, therefore, may be a useful biomarker for the presence of disease or disease progression. The only available therapy is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that is best performed prior to the onset of clinical symptoms.

Fabry disease, caused by variants in the GLA gene, is an X-linked recessive disorder with an incidence of approximately 1 in 50,000 males. Symptoms result from a deficiency of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A (GLA; ceramide trihexosidase). Reduced GLA activity results in accumulation of glycosphingolipids in the lysosomes of both peripheral and visceral tissues. Severity and onset of symptoms are dependent on the residual GLA activity. Males with less than 1% GLA activity have the classic form of Fabry disease. Symptoms can appear in childhood or adolescence and usually include acroparesthesias (pain crises), multiple angiokeratomas, reduced or absent sweating, and corneal opacity. Renal insufficiency, leading to end-stage kidney disease and cardiac and cerebrovascular disease, generally occurs in middle age. Males with greater than1% GLA activity may present with a variant form of Fabry disease with onset of symptoms later in life. The renal variant generally has onset of symptoms in the third decade. The most prominent feature in this form is renal insufficiency and, ultimately, end stage kidney disease. Individuals with the renal variant may or may not share other symptoms with the classic form of Fabry disease. Individuals with the cardiac variant are often asymptomatic until they present with cardiac findings such as cardiomyopathy or mitral insufficiency in the fourth decade. The cardiac variant is not associated with kidney failure. Female patients who are carriers of Fabry disease can have clinical presentations ranging from asymptomatic to severely affected. Enzyme replacement therapy is a treatment option for both male and female patients with Fabry disease.

Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a reduced or absent activity of the alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA) enzyme. Reduced IDUA activity results in accumulation of glycosaminoglycans (mucopolysaccharides) within the lysosome. The clinical presentation and severity of symptoms of MPS I are variable, ranging from severe disease to attenuated variants (historically known as Hurler-Scheie disease and Scheie disease) that generally present with a later onset and a milder clinical presentation. In general, symptoms may include coarse facies, progressive dysostosis multiplex, hepatosplenomegaly, corneal clouding, hearing loss, intellectual disability or learning difficulties, and cardiac valvular disease. MPS-I is caused by genetic variants in the IDUA gene and has an estimated incidence of approximately 1 in 100,000 live births. Treatment options include hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and enzyme replacement therapy.

Peroxisomes are organelles present in all human cells except mature erythrocytes. They carry out essential metabolic functions including beta-oxidation of very long-chain fatty acids, alpha-oxidation of phytanic acid, and biosynthesis of plasmalogen and bile acids. Peroxisomal disorders include 2 major subgroups: disorders of peroxisomal biogenesis and single peroxisomal enzyme/transporter defects. Peroxisome biogenesis defects such as Zellweger spectrum disorders are characterized by defective assembly of the entire organelle, whereas in single enzyme/transporter defects such as X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (XALD), the organelle is intact, but a specific function is disrupted. These disorders are clinically diverse and range in severity from neonatal lethal to milder, later onset variants.

XALD is a disorder affecting the nervous system, adrenal cortex, and testis. It is the most common of the peroxisomal disorders, affecting 1 in 17,000 to 1 in 21,000 male patients. A defect in the ABCD1 gene is responsible for the disease. XALD shows a wide range of phenotypic expressions. The clinical phenotypes occurring in male patients can be subdivided in 4 main categories: cerebral inflammatory, adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), Addison only, and asymptomatic. The first 2 phenotypes account for almost 80% of the patients, while the frequency of the asymptomatic category diminishes with age and is very rare after age 40. It is estimated that approximately 50% of heterozygous individuals are symptomatic and develop an AMN-like syndrome. Treatment options are hormone replacement therapy, dietary intervention, or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Zellweger syndrome spectrum (ZSS) is a continuum of severe disorders affecting the nervous system, vision, hearing, and liver function. Most individuals present in infancy, but adult patients have been identified. The prevalence of ZSS is 1 in 50,000. ZSS follows autosomal recessive inheritance. At least 12 different genes have been implicated in ZSS, with approximately 60% to 70% of variants occurring in PEX1. The clinical phenotypes include Zellweger syndrome, neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy (NALD), and infantile Refsum disease (IRD). Individuals with Zellweger syndrome typically die within the first year of life without making any developmental progress. Individuals with NALD or IRD typically present in childhood with developmental delays, vision loss, and hearing loss, and have a much slower disease progression. There is no specific treatment for ZSS.