Objective: To evaluate the most frequent diagnostic errors in patients with Fabry disease and the types of specialists most often consulted before diagnosis.
Study Design: We evaluated 45 consecutive symptomatic patients with Fabry disease confirmed by enzymatic tests in males and genetic studies in females. We interviewed the patients, their mothers, or both regarding symptoms, age at onset, medical consultations, and recommended treatments.
Results: Neuropathic pain was the most frequent initial complaint, and rheumatic fever was the most common diagnosis. Seven patients were treated with penicillin for many years. Ten patients sought medical consultation because of abdominal pain and were diagnosed with food intoxication or nonspecific pain. Six patients sought consultation because of anhidrosis, considered of unclear cause, and angiokeratomas diagnosed as petechiae. Internists and pediatricians were the most frequently consulted specialists. The correct diagnosis was obtained after a mean of 19.7 years.
Conclusions: Pediatricians as well as internists commonly misdiagnose Fabry disease. Neuropathic pain, hypohidrosis, and recurrent abdominal pain in childhood or adolescence should include Fabry disease in the differential diagnosis to facilitate earlier diagnosis and treatment of these patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2010.02.012 | DOI Listing |
JIMD Rep
January 2025
Division of Genetics and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA.
Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal disease caused by variants in the gene. Although Fabry disease is X-linked, gene variants in females can exhibit a wide range of symptoms, challenging the traditional view of Fabry as an X-linked recessive disease. A family is presented here with a 36-year-old female who is symptomatic with chronic kidney disease and her oligosymptomatic 70-year-old father, both of whom have a heterozygous and hemizygous GLA pathogenic variant, respectively, c.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Inherit Metab Dis
January 2025
Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.
There are currently at least 70 characterised lysosomal storage diseases (LSD) resultant from inherited single-gene defects. Of these, at least 30 present with central nervous system (CNS) neurodegeneration and overlapping aetiology. Substrate accumulation and dysfunctional neuronal lysosomes are common denominator, but how variants in 30 different genes converge on this central cellular phenotype is unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeart
January 2025
Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Int J Cardiol
January 2025
Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China. Electronic address:
Aims: The study was designed to investigate the characteristics of atrial ventricular coupling and left atrial (LA) function impairment in patients with Fabry disease (FD), especially those in the early stages of the condition.
Methods: A total of 65 patients with Fabry disease who completed echocardiographic examinations from January 2018 to May 2024 were ultimately included. Among them, 25 patients with FD did not have left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH).
Biosens Bioelectron
January 2025
Institute of Physics, College of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland.
Fabry disease (FD) is a rare disorder resulting from a genetic mutation characterized by the accumulation of sphingolipids in various cells throughout the human body, leading to progressive and irreversible organ damage, particularly in males. Genetically-determined deficiency or reduced activity of the enzyme (alpha - Galactosidase; α-Gal) leads to the accumulation of sphingolipids in the lysosomes of various cell types, including the heart, kidneys, skin, eyes, central nervous system, and digestive system, triggering damage, leading to the failure of vital organs, and resulting in progressive disability and premature death. FD diagnostics currently depend on costly and time-intensive genetic tests and enzymatic analysis, often leading to delayed or inaccurate diagnoses, which contribute to rapid disease progression.
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