Very Early Treatment for Infantile-Onset Pompe Disease Contributes to Better Outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate whether very early treatment in our patients would result in better clinical outcomes and to compare these data with other infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) cohort studies.

Methods: In this nationwide program, 669,797 newborns were screened for Pompe disease. We diagnosed IOPD in 14 of these newborns, and all were treated and followed in our hospital.

Results: After 2010, the mean age at first enzyme-replacement therapy (ERT) was 11.92 days. Our patients had better biological, physical, and developmental outcomes and lower anti-rh acid α-glucosidase antibodies after 2 years of treatment, even compared with one group that began ERT just 10 days later than our cohort. No patient had a hearing disorder or abnormal vision. The mean age for independent walking was 11.6 ± 1.3 months, the same age as normal children.

Conclusions: ERT for patients with IOPD should be initiated as early as possible before irreversible damage occurs. Our results indicate that early identification of patients with IOPD allows for the very early initiation of ERT. Starting ERT even a few days earlier may lead to better patient outcomes.