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Handbook of Genetic Counseling/Mucopolysacharidosis (MPS)
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Mucopolysacharidosis (MPS)
Contracting
Can you explain to me your main purpose in visiting genetics?
What are your main concerns about the diagnosis?
Outline session
First I will update the medical and family history
Doctor will then probably want to perform physical exam
Then we will address any concerns or questions
Medical history
Follow interim history form and focus on potential health problems/ symptoms described later in outline
Update Pedigree
Any other brothers or sisters
Full biological?
Any other family members with:
Genetic conditions
Multiple miscarriages
Birth defects
Chronic illnesses
MR learning difficulties
Any chance that you and his father related by blood
Country where relatives are from originally
Overview
Group of inherited metabolic disorders
Caused by a deficiency of the specific lysosomal enzymes needed to break down mucopolysaccharides
Mucopolysaccharides are long chains of sugar molecules used to build connective tissues and organs in the body
When mutations occur in the genes for the enzymes that break down mucopolysaccharides, excess amounts of them are stored in the body
This causes progressive damage to organs and tissues
Eight clinical types and numerous subtypes have been identified
Although each type differs clinically, generally, people with mucopolysaccharidoses experience a period of normal development followed by a decline in physical and/or mental function
Some of the excess mucopolysaccharides are excreted through the urine and diagnosis often can be made through clinical examination and urine tests
Incidence
Estimated 1 in 25,000 births in U.S. have some form of MPS:
Treatment
No simple cure for the mucopolysaccharidoses
Treatment is symptomatic and supportive
In several individuals, bone marrow transplants have been attempted with varying degrees of success
Enzyme replacement trials (ERT) are under investigation for MPS I and MPS II
Kakkis et al. (2001) treated 10 patients with MPS I (aged 5 to 22 years) with recombinant human alpha-L-iduronidase at a dose of 125,000 U per kg of body weight given intravenously once weekly for 52 weeks.
Hepatosplenomegaly decreased significantly in all patients, and the size of the liver was normal for body weight and age in 8 patients by 26 weeks.
The rate of growth in height and weight increased by a mean of 85 and 131%, respectively, at 52 weeks in the 6 prepubertal patients.
The mean maximum range of motion of shoulder flexion and elbow extension increased significantly.
The number of episodes of apnea and hypopnea during sleep decreased by 61%.
New York Heart Association functional class improved by 1 or 2 classes in all patients.
Urinary glycosaminoglycan excretion decreased after 3 to 4 weeks of treatment; the mean reduction at 52 weeks was 63% of baseline values.
Five patients had transient urticaria during infusions. Serum antibodies to alpha-L-iduronidase were detected in 4 patients
ERT
treatment consists of a modified form of the alpha-L-iduronidase enzyme given intravenously
takes approximately two hours for a person to receive the treatment, and the treatment is usually given every two weeks
Enzyme replacement therapy can stop and often reverse the symptoms of the disorder
Disadvantages of the enzyme replacement therapy are its high cost and the fact that it is a lifelong process
Potential adverse reactions including "allergic type reaction"
Initial evidence of potential treatment for Hurler syndrome (Keeling KM et al., 2001)
Gentamicin-mediated suppression of Hurler syndrome stop mutations restored a low level of alpha-L-iduronidase activity and reduced lysosomal glycosaminoglycan accumulation
results suggest that the suppression of premature stop mutations may provide an effective treatment for Hurler syndrome patients with premature stop mutations in the IDUA gene
Types of MPS
MPS type I
Hurler, Scheie, and Hurler/Sheie syndromes also known respectively as MPS-IH, MPS-IS, and MPS-IH/S
Hurler syndrome takes its name from Gertrud Hurler, the doctor who described a boy and girl with the condition in 1919
In 1962, Dr. Scheie, a consultant ophthalmologist, wrote about some of his patients who were more mildly affected
Patients who seem not to fit clearly in either the severe or the mild end of the disorder are said to have *Hurler/Scheie syndrome
All are caused by missing enzyme - alpha-L-iduronidase
Alpha-L-iduronidase breaks down (mucopolysaccharides) heparan sulfate and dermatan
Found at locus 4p16.3
No reliable way of telling from biochemical tests how severe the disorder will be
residual alpha-L-iduronidase activity in Hurler fibroblasts is heat-stable whereas that in Scheie fibroblasts is heat-labile
Progression and severity of disease are highly variable within the spectrum of MPS)
General symptoms
multiple organ and tissue involvement
Joint stiffness
Skeletal deformities
Enlarged liver
Obstructive airway disease; respiratory infection and cardiac complications are the most common direct causes of death
Ophthalmologic manifestations and hearing disorders
Three subgroups of MPSI according to severity
Sheie syndrome
corneal opacities
aortic valve disease
normal stature
mild or absent intellectual impairment
nearly normal life span
seldom recognized during infancy or early childhood
No neurologic involvement
Joint stiffness, carpet tunnel syndrome
Mild hepatosplenomegaly
Hurler/Sheie
Onset of symptoms between 3 and 8 years of age
death in 2nd or 3rd decade normal or near normal intelligence
more severe physical symptoms than those with Scheie syndrome
short stature
dysostosis multiplex
hepatosplenomegaly
corneal clouding
umbilical or inguinal hernia
psychotic symptoms may appear later in life
Hurler syndrome
Most severe form
Occurs in infancy
Macrocephaly (*may appear early in infancy while complete clinical picture develops during second year of life)
Respiratory infections*
Limited hip abduction*
Apnea or difficulty breathing
Coarse (gargyloid) facies
accelerated growth from infancy followed by progressive decline in the rate of development
progressive physical disability
progressive mental retardation
dysostosis multiplex
corneal clouding
death usually before the age of 10 years usually result of pneumonia and heart failure
Inheritance and risks
AR inheritance, panethnic
Parents of affected child have ¼ chance of each pregnancy being affected
Unaffected sibs of patient have 2/3 chance of being carrier
Combined frequency: approximately 1 in 50,000
Hurler: 1 in 100,000
Hurler-Scheie: 1 in 115,000
Scheie: 1 in 500,000
Diagnosis
can be diagnosed with a blood looking at levels of alpha-L-iduronidase
low level of this enzyme in a person's white blood cells is characteristic of the disease
confirmed by this absence of alpha-L-iduronidase in the white blood cells, the excretion of dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate in the urine, and by physical appearance
Molecular (DNA) analysis can also be used to verify the diagnosis
Genetic Testing
Prenatal diagnosis
possible once a diagnosis has been made in the family and a genetic alteration identified (CVS and
amount of alpha-L-iduronidase can be measured in the amniotic cells or chorionic villi Molecular (DNA) analysis can be used to verify the diagnosis prenatally, by looking for the same genetic alteration that is present in the family member
Carrier testing
Enzyme analysis using white blood cells is not effective or reliable in identifying carriers of these disorders
However, a study in 2002 (Mandelli J et al.) showed that leukocyte IDUA from MPS I heterozygotes differed from the normal enzyme in terms of optimum pH, Km, and Vmax of the reaction and thermostability at 50 degrees C. They claimed these parameters provide a simple and reliable tool for the detection of carriers for MPS I.
molecular (DNA) analysis is used to identify carriers
first test someone in the family who has already been diagnosed with the disorder, so that the laboratory can identify the genetic alteration present in that individual and look for that same alteration in at-risk family members
MPS II (Hunter syndrome -differential diagnosis)
Overview
named after Charles Hunter, the professor of medicine in Manitoba, Canada, who first described two brothers with the disorder in 1917
Hunter syndrome is less common than MPS I and has no corneal clouding and pursues a slower course than MPS I
Some think there are two distinct types of the condition, the mild and the severe
Others believe there is just one disorder with a wide range in the severity of the problems it causes
Risks and inheritance
X-linked recessive
Rarely girls have been diagnosed
Mother of affected boy is carrier
50% risk to future boys
maternal aunts and sisters at risk of being carrier
carrier testing available
Description of symptoms
Severe form:
Joint stiffness
Mental deterioration
Dwarfing
Progressive deafness
Death by age 15
Mild form:
Short stature
Limitation of motion
Enlarged forehead, tongue and lips
Life span may be normal
Other Differentials
MPS III,or Sanfilippo syndrome
experience progressive dementia and mental deterioration in childhood
Death usually occurs in the late teens
MPS IV,or Morquio syndrome
Symptoms usually appear in infancy and may include severe dwarfing and corneal clouding
Intelligence is normal
Cardiac or respiratory disease may cause death in the third or fourth decade of life
MPS VI,or Maroteauz-Lamy syndrome
resembles Hurler syndrome
Onset is in infancy
intelligence is normal
Individuals may live into the second or third decade
MPS VII, Sly disease
experience corneal clouding, skeletal irregularities, and enlargement of the liver and spleen
Intellectual impairments vary for this type of MPS
Drug-induced lysosomal storage disease
example of phenocopy
thought that drugs of widely differing pharmacologic activity can interact with polar lipids within the lysosomes to yield lipid-drug complexes resistant to enzymatic digestion
Psychosocial considerations
Assess how this disease is viewed by patient and family members
Probably difficult to watch progression of disease may feel helpless
May seek out every possible therapy (including alternative med. tx)
Difficulty accepting that life-span may be shortened
May have been overprotected by parents
May struggle with feelings of dependence on others
Discuss support group
Support and Information Organizations
National MPS Society, Inc.
102 Aspen Drive
Downingtown, PA 19335
info@mpssociety.org
http://www.mpssociety.org
Tel: 610-942-0100
Fax: 610-942-7188
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
P.O. Box 1968
(55 Kenosia Avenue)
Danbury, CT 06813-1968
orphan@rarediseases.org
http://www.rarediseases.org
Tel: 203-744-0100 Voice Mail 800-999-NORD (6673)
Fax: 203-798-2291
National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association
2001 Beacon Street
Suite 204
Boston, MA 02135
NTSAD-boston@worldnet.att.net
http://www.ntsad.org
Tel: 617-277-4463 800-90-NTSAD (906-8723)
Fax: 617-277-0134
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/mucopolysaccharidoses.htm --National Institute of Neurological :Disorders and Stroke
References
Mandelli J, Wajner A, Pires RF, Giugliani R, Coelho JC. Detection of mucopolysaccharidosis type I heterozygotes based on the biochemical characteristics of leukocyte alpha-L-iduronidase. Arch Med Res 2002 Jan-Feb;33(1):20-4
Keeling KM, Brooks DA, Hopwood JJ, Li P, Thompson JN, Bedwell DM. Gentamicin-mediated suppression of Hurler syndrome stop mutations restores a low level of alpha-L-iduronidase activity and reduces lysosomal glycosaminoglycan accumulation. Hum Mol Genet 2001 Feb 1;10(3):291-9
Genzyme: http://www.genzyme.com.au/thera/au_p_tp_thera.asp
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/mucopolysaccharidoses.htm --National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
http://www.mpssociety.org
http://www.rarediseases.org
Notes
The information in this outline was last updated in 2002.