White vitreous opacities in five patients with Gaucher disease type 3

A review of type 3 Gaucher disease: unique neurological manifestations and advances in treatment

Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare lysosomal storage disease that is caused by mutations in the GBA gene. It is classified into three main phenotypes according to the patient's clinical presentation. Of these, chronic neuronopathic GD (GD3) is characterized by progressive neurological damage. Understanding the unique neurological manifestations of GD3 has important diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Our article summarizes the neurological symptoms specific to GD3 and related therapeutic advances, and it highlights the relevance of the gene to clinical symptoms, so as to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of GD3.

Diagnosing neuronopathic Gaucher disease: New considerations and challenges in assigning Gaucher phenotypes

Gaucher disease (GD), resulting from biallelic mutations in the gene GBA1, is a monogenic recessively inherited Mendelian disorder with a wide range of phenotypic presentations. The more severe forms of the disease, acute neuronopathic GD (GD2) and chronic neuronopathic GD (GD3), also have a continuum of disease severity with an overlap in manifestations and limited genotype-phenotype correlation. In very young patients, assigning a definitive diagnosis can sometimes be challenging. Several recent studies highlight specific features of neuronopathic GD that may provide diagnostic clues. Distinguishing between the different GD types has important therapeutic implications. Currently there are limited treatment options specifically for neuronopathic GD due to the difficulty in delivering therapies across the blood-brain barrier. In this work, we present both classic and newly appreciated aspects of the Gaucher phenotype that can aid in discriminating between acute and chronic neuronopathic GD, and highlight the continuing therapeutic challenges.

Mass Spectrometry Evaluation of Biomarkers in the Vitreous Fluid in Gaucher Disease Type 3 with Disease Progression Despite Long-Term Treatment

Intraocular lesions have been infrequently reported in patients with Gaucher disease type 3 (GD3). We previously reported siblings with GD3 who responded well to the combination of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and substrate reduction therapy (SRT). Here we report progressive bilateral vitreous and preretinal deposits with declining visual acuity requiring bilateral vitrectomies in one of these siblings. These ocular manifestations had progressed despite combined ERT and SRT with improvement in visual acuity after vitrectomies. Vitrectomy fluid analysis performed for the first time by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) identified a high concentration of glucosylceramide (GluCer) in the patient (262.842 nM) compared to a sample (0.428 nM from a patient without a lysosomal storage or known hereditary metabolic disorder). The GluCer detected in our patient was resolved into 12 different isoforms including two methylated ones. No evidence of galactosylceramide (GalCer) was detected. The development of these intraocular manifestations and their characterization by UPLC-MS/MS indicate a need for ongoing ophthalmologic evaluation of all GD patients and for new therapies that can cross the blood–retinal and blood–brain barriers for patients with GD and other neuropathic lysosomal storage disorders.