Crigler-Najjar Syndrome Type 1: Pathophysiology, Natural History, and Therapeutic Frontier.

Background And Aims: We describe the pathophysiology, treatment, and outcome of Crigler-Najjar type 1 syndrome (CN1) in 28 UGT1A1 c.222C>A homozygotes followed for 520 aggregate patient-years.

Approach And Results: Unbound ("free") bilirubin (B ) was measured in patient sera to characterize the binding of unconjugated bilirubin (B ) to albumin (A) and validate their molar concentration ratio (B /A) as an index of neurological risk. Two custom phototherapy systems were constructed from affordable materials to provide high irradiance in the outpatient setting; light dose was titrated to keep B /A at least 30% below intravascular B binding capacity (i.e., B /A = 1.0). Categorical clinical outcomes were ascertained by chart review, and a measure (L ) was used to quantify liver fibrosis. Unbound bilirubin had a nonlinear relationship to B (R  = 0.71) and B /A (R  = 0.76), and B as a percentage of B correlated inversely to the bilirubin-albumin equilibrium association binding constant (R  = 0.69), which varied 10-fold among individuals. In newborns with CN1, unconjugated bilirubin increased 4.3 ± 1.1 mg/dL per day. Four (14%) neonates developed kernicterus between days 14 and 45 postnatal days of life; peak B  ≥ 30 mg/dL and B /A ≥ 1.0 mol:mol were equally predictive of perinatal brain injury (sensitivity 100%, specificity 93.3%, positive predictive value 88.0%), and starting phototherapy after age 13 days increased this risk 3.5-fold. Consistent phototherapy with 33-103 µW/cm •nm for 9.2 ± 1.1 hours/day kept B and B /A within safe limits throughout childhood, but B increased 0.46 mg/dL per year to reach dangerous concentrations by 18 years of age. Liver transplantation (n = 17) normalized B and eliminated phototherapy dependence. Liver explants showed fibrosis ranging from mild to severe.

Conclusion: Seven decades after its discovery, CN1 remains a morbid and potentially fatal disorder.