Publications by authors named "Kathleen Nicholls"

Background: Fabry disease is a rare X-linked multisystem disease, with progressive proteinuric kidney disease contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality of these patients. Evidence shows that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is) can reduce proteinuria and slow progression to end-stage kidney disease in both diabetic and non-diabetic kidney disease.

Aim: Evaluate the effects of SGLT2I on kidney function and albuminuria in patients with Fabry disease.

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Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder, characterised by the cellular accumulation of globotriaosylceramide due to impaired alpha-galactosidase A enzyme activity. FD may manifest with multisystem pathology, including reduced bone mineral density (BMD). Registry data suggest that the introduction of Fabry-specific therapies (enzyme replacement therapy or chaperone therapy) has led to significant improvements in overall patient outcomes; however, there are limited data on the impact on bone density.

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Background: Disease-specific therapy aims to improve symptoms, stabilise current disease and delay progression in patients with Fabry disease. In Australia, treatment access is subject to eligibility criteria initially established in 2004. Patients and their clinicians question why these criteria have remained unchanged despite significant progress in disease understanding.

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Background: Fabry disease is a rare, multisystemic disorder caused by gene variants that lead to alpha galactosidase A deficiency, resulting in accumulation of glycosphingolipids and cellular dysfunction. Fabry-associated clinical events (FACEs) cause significant morbidity and mortality, yet the long-term effect of Fabry therapies on FACE incidence remains unclear.

Methods: This analysis evaluated incidence of FACEs (as a composite outcome and separately for renal, cardiac and cerebrovascular events) in 97 enzyme replacement therapy (ERT)-naïve and ERT-experienced adults with Fabry disease and amenable variants who were treated with migalastat for up to 8.

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Fabry disease is a rare lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the GLA gene, which, without treatment, can cause significant renal dysfunction. We evaluated the effects of enzyme replacement therapy with agalsidase alfa on renal decline in patients with Fabry disease using data from the Fabry Outcome Survey (FOS) registry. Male patients with Fabry disease aged >16 years at agalsidase alfa start were stratified by low (≤0.

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Background: Patient registries provide long-term, real-world evidence that aids the understanding of the natural history and progression of disease, and the effects of treatment on large patient populations with rare diseases. The year 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the Fabry Outcome Survey (FOS), an international, multicenter, observational registry (NCT03289065). The primary aims of FOS are to broaden the understanding of Fabry disease (FD), an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder, and to improve the clinical management of affected patients.

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Background: Variable disease progression confounds accurate prognosis in Fabry disease. Evidence supports the long-term benefit of early intervention with disease-specific therapy, but current guidelines recommend treatment initiation based on signs that may present too late to avoid irreversible organ damage. Findings from the 'PRoposing Early Disease Indicators for Clinical Tracking in Fabry Disease' (PREDICT-FD) initiative included expert consensus on 27 early indicators of disease progression in Fabry disease and on drivers of and barriers to treatment initiation in Fabry disease.

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Background: Primary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is a rare disorder and little is known about treatment practices and long-term outcome.

Methods: Paediatric and adult nephrologists contacted through European professional organizations entered data in an online form.

Results: Data were collected on 315 patients (22 countries, male 84%, adults 35%).

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Lysosomal storage diseases (LSD) comprise a rare and heterogeneous group of nearly 50 heritable metabolic disorders caused by mutations in proteins critical for cellular lysosomal function. Defects in the activity of these proteins in multiple organs leads to progressive intra-lysosomal accumulation of specific substrates, resulting in disruption of cellular functions, extracellular inflammatory responses, tissue damage and organ dysfunction. The classification and clinical presentation of different LSD are dependent on the type of accumulated substrate.

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Background: Fabry disease is an inherited disorder of glycolipid metabolism with progressive involvement of multiple organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, in classically affected male patients. Clinical presentations in males with later-onset Fabry phenotypes are more heterogeneous and largely dependent on the level of residual α-galactosidase A activity.

Methods: We assessed agalsidase beta treatment outcomes of gastrointestinal symptoms in adult males with classic or later-onset Fabry disease.

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Objectives: The PRoposing Early Disease Indicators for Clinical Tracking in Fabry Disease (PREDICT-FD) initiative aimed to reach consensus among a panel of global experts on early indicators of disease progression that may justify FD-specific treatment initiation.

Design And Setting: Anonymous feedback from panellists via online questionnaires was analysed using a modified Delphi consensus technique. Questionnaires and data were managed by an independent administrator directed by two non-voting cochairs.

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Article Synopsis
  • * During a 12-month open-label extension, patients continued on migalastat or switched from ERT to migalastat, focusing on outcomes like kidney function, heart health, and safety.
  • * Results indicated stable kidney function (eGFR) and a decrease in heart muscle thickness (LVMi) for those on migalastat, with minimal new clinical events and no significant safety issues reported.
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Purpose: To determine the diagnostic yield and clinical impact of exome sequencing (ES) in patients with suspected monogenic kidney disease.

Methods: We performed clinically accredited singleton ES in a prospectively ascertained cohort of 204 patients assessed in multidisciplinary renal genetics clinics at four tertiary hospitals in Melbourne, Australia.

Results: ES identified a molecular diagnosis in 80 (39%) patients, encompassing 35 distinct genetic disorders.

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Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia is characterised by abnormal blood vessel formation, producing telangiectasia and arteriovenous malformations in multiple organs. Information regarding possible renal involvement in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia is limited. This study assessed renal structure and function in 11 patients with genetically confirmed diagnosis and known arteriovenous malformations in lung, liver, gastrointestinal tract or brain.

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Background: Fabry disease is frequently characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea. Migalastat is an orally-administered small molecule approved to treat the symptoms of Fabry disease in patients with amenable mutations.

Methods: We evaluated minimal clinically important differences (MCID) in diarrhea based on the corresponding domain of the patient-reported Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) in patients with Fabry disease and amenable mutations (N = 50) treated with migalastat 150 mg every other day or placebo during the phase 3 FACETS trial (NCT00925301).

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Background: Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations, resulting in α-galactosidase (α-Gal) deficiency and accumulation of lysosomal substrates. Migalastat, an oral pharmacological chaperone being developed as an alternative to intravenous enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), stabilises specific mutant () forms of α-Gal to facilitate normal lysosomal trafficking.

Methods: The main objective of the 18-month, randomised, active-controlled ATTRACT study was to assess the effects of migalastat on renal function in patients with Fabry disease previously treated with ERT.

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Background: Fabry's disease, an X-linked disorder of lysosomal α-galactosidase deficiency, leads to substrate accumulation in multiple organs. Migalastat, an oral pharmacologic chaperone, stabilizes specific mutant forms of α-galactosidase, increasing enzyme trafficking to lysosomes.

Methods: The initial assay of mutant α-galactosidase forms that we used to categorize 67 patients with Fabry's disease for randomization to 6 months of double-blind migalastat or placebo (stage 1), followed by open-label migalastat from 6 to 12 months (stage 2) plus an additional year, had certain limitations.

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Baseline demographic and phenotypic characteristics of patients aged ≥50years in the Fabry Outcome Survey (Shire; data extracted June 2014) were compared with younger adults to investigate potential factors influencing treatment decisions in later life. Age groups were defined using age at treatment initiation or at FOS entry for untreated patients: 18-49 (n=1344; 49.5% male; 64.

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Examination of the urine under the microscope using polarised light is invaluable for detecting and identifying lipid particles. Attention to the shape of these Maltese cross bearing bodies can distinguish conventional fat particles from Fabry bodies with great sensitivity and specificity across a wide phenotypic spectrum. This could be a cheap and rapid tool for screening subjects suspected of having Fabry disease for renal involvement.

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Cardiovascular survival in a cohort of 33 male Fabry patients followed for a median of 7.3 years at a single centre was most strongly associated in a Cox proportional hazard regression model with age and elevated arterial stiffness at baseline. Seven patients died of cardiovascular causes.

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