Incidence of glycogen storage disease in the German Federal Republic

Systematic literature review of the epidemiology of glycogen storage disease type 1a

Glycogen storage disease (GSD) type 1a is an inherited autosomal recessive metabolic disease caused by a deficiency in glucose-6-phosphatase activity. The objectives of this research were to systematically review the published literature on the epidemiology of GSD 1a and to assess the performance of reported epidemiology measures in a simulation model. In this systematic literature review 2,539 record titles and abstracts were screened. Of these, only 11 studies contained relevant data on GSD 1a disease epidemiology. Reported disease frequency ranged from 0.085/100,000 to 10.3/100,000 newborns when considering all the GSD literature. When this was narrowed to GSD 1 and GSD 1a, the range was tightened to 0.25-3.02/100,000 and 0.085-4.9/100,000 newborns, respectively. Most of the identified studies counted the number of diagnoses in a defined period and related to the number of births in the same (Dx method) or different time period (DoB method). The simulation model results indicate that in most of the situations, the Dx method provides a closer estimate to the true disease incidence than the DoB method. Despite the scarcity of epidemiology data, the results of this systematic review strongly support that GSD 1a and its parent disease groups (GSD and GSD 1) are rare diseases.

Acute myelogenous leukemia and glycogen storage disease 1b

Glycogen storage disease 1b (GSD 1b) is caused by a deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate translocase and the intracellular accumulation of glycogen. The disease presents with failure to thrive, hepatomegaly, hypoglycemia, lactic acidosis, as well as neutropenia causing increased susceptibility to pyogenic infections. We present a case of a young woman with GSD 1b who developed acute myelogenous leukemia while on long-term granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy. The presence of two rare diseases in a single patient raises suspicion that GSD 1b and acute myelogenous leukemia are linked. Surveillance for acute myelogenous leukemia should become part of the long-term follow-up for GSD 1b.

Chronic inflammatory bowel disease in glycogen storage disease type 1B

Two children with glycogen storage disease type 1B developed chronic inflammatory bowel disease. The first, a 7-year-old boy, had ileitis and later developed perianal disease. The second developed colitis by the age of 9 years; in both the features were consistent with Crohn disease. The children had neutropenia and neutrophil mobility defects characteristic of GSD-1B. It is suggested that these neutrophil abnormalities are important in the pathogenesis of the bowel inflammation.

Inflammatory bowel disease in glycogen storage disease type Ib

We have observed the development of chronic inflammatory bowel disease, indistinguishable from Crohn disease, in two boys with glycogen storage disease type Ib (GSD-Ib). A chance association of these diseases in two patients is unlikely. Studies of their neutrophils showed severe chronic neutropenia (mean absolute granulocyte counts of less than 500 cells/microliter) and markedly deficient chemotactic response (less than 5% of reference values) in the patients with GSD-Ib and normal neutrophil values in four patients with glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD-Ia). Monocyte counts and responses to chemotactic stimulation were normal in both GSD-Ia and GSD-Ib. Chronic inflammatory bowel disease appears to be associated with GSD-Ib, and neutrophil abnormalities may be involved in the pathogenesis of the bowel inflammation.

Ethanolaminosis. A newly recognized, generalized storage disease with cardiomegaly, cerebral dysfunction and early death

A storage disease with cardiomegaly, generalized muscular hypotonia, cerebral dysfunction, failure to thrive and early death is described in two siblings. The first one died at the age of 10 months, the second at the age of 17 months. The symptoms were mainly due to lysosomal storage of a substance which had a positive reaction to PAS and Best's stain and which was resistant to diastase. This substance was stored in nearly all the organs, especially in the heart, liver, spleen and less in the brain and skeletal muscles. An increased renal excretion of ethanolamine, a greatly increased hepatic concentration of ethanolamine and diminished hepatic ethanolamine kinase activity could be demonstrated. Ethanolamine is essential for the synthesis of phospholipids. Both parents showed increased renal excretion of taurine. In several aspects, this syndrome is similar to the glycogenosis type II described by Pompe.