Kazuo Kubota1, Hiroki Kawai2, Shigeo Takashima3, Takayoshi Shimohata4, Mika Otsuki5, Hidenori Ohnishi6, Nobuyuki Shimozawa7. 1. Department of Pediatrics, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan; Division of Clinical Genetics, Gifu University Hospital, Gifu, Japan. Electronic address: kubotak-gif@umin.ac.jp. 2. Department of Pediatrics, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan; Division of Genomics Research, Life Science Research Center, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan. 3. Division of Genomics Research, Life Science Research Center, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan. 4. Department of Neurology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan. 5. Faculty of Health Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan. 6. Department of Pediatrics, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan. 7. Division of Clinical Genetics, Gifu University Hospital, Gifu, Japan; Division of Genomics Research, Life Science Research Center, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Childhood cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CCALD) is the most common phenotype of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) and is characterized by the progression of intellectual, psychic, visual, and gait disturbances. Progression of this intractable disease can only be prevented by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation during the early stages of the disease. The aim of this study was to clinically evaluate children with CCALD who have visual symptoms to enable early diagnosis. METHODS: We enrolled 41 Japanese children with CCALD who had visual symptoms. We retrospectively analyzed age of onset, past medical history, initial symptoms, visual symptoms and findings on brain magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: The median age of disease onset was 7 years (range 5-10 years). The most common visual symptom was strabismus (n = 22). There was only one patient with the triad of symptoms of Balint's syndrome. Seventeen patients had incomplete Balint's syndrome and showed one or two of the triad of symptoms. Almost all patients with complete or incomplete Balint's syndrome showed bilateral parieto-occipital white matter lesions. CONCLUSIONS: CCALD could develop into Balint's syndrome, especially the incomplete form. Therefore, CCALD should be considered when boys show new symptoms, including lack of eye contact or bumping into objects.
BACKGROUND:Childhood cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CCALD) is the most common phenotype of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) and is characterized by the progression of intellectual, psychic, visual, and gait disturbances. Progression of this intractable disease can only be prevented by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation during the early stages of the disease. The aim of this study was to clinically evaluate children with CCALD who have visual symptoms to enable early diagnosis. METHODS: We enrolled 41 Japanese children with CCALD who had visual symptoms. We retrospectively analyzed age of onset, past medical history, initial symptoms, visual symptoms and findings on brain magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: The median age of disease onset was 7 years (range 5-10 years). The most common visual symptom was strabismus (n = 22). There was only one patient with the triad of symptoms of Balint's syndrome. Seventeen patients had incomplete Balint's syndrome and showed one or two of the triad of symptoms. Almost all patients with complete or incomplete Balint's syndrome showed bilateral parieto-occipital white matter lesions. CONCLUSIONS: CCALD could develop into Balint's syndrome, especially the incomplete form. Therefore, CCALD should be considered when boys show new symptoms, including lack of eye contact or bumping into objects.
Authors: Jennifer L Keller; Ani Eloyan; Gerald V Raymond; Ali Fatemi; Kathleen M Zackowski Journal: J Inherit Metab Dis Date: 2021-12-09 Impact factor: 4.982