Laboratory diagnosis of hypophosphatasia

Hypophosphatasia: from birth to adulthood

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inherited disease caused by a low activity of tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase, a hydrolase that removes phosphate groups from many molecules. Decreased alkaline phosphatase activity leads to the accumulation of three main metabolites, i.e., pyridoxal 5´-phosphate (PLP), inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), and phosphoethanolamine. Impairment in PLP dephosphorylation induces seizures, while PPi accumulation inhibits bone mineralization. Clinically, HPP has a wide spectrum of presentations, ranging from neonatal death to an apparent lack of symptoms. This disease is classified into six subtypes according to the age at onset of first signs or symptoms. The clinical manifestations of the disease include rickets-like bone changes, bone demineralization, fragility fractures, reduced muscular strength, chest deformity, pulmonary hypoplasia, nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis, and chondrocalcinosis. Treatment of HPP consists of enzyme replacement therapy. Before this therapy was approved, treatment was palliative and associated with high morbidity and mortality. Asfotase alfa has changed the prognosis of the disease by reducing bone deformity and improving bone mineralization, lung function, and muscle weakness, among other benefits. In adults, teriparatide and anti-sclerostin antibody have been used off-label in selected cases, demonstrating benefit in accelerating fracture healing and in concomitant treatment of osteoporosis. This review summarizes the main aspects of HPP and identifies the particularities of the disease in adult patients.

Active search of adult patients with persistently low serum alkaline phosphatase levels for the diagnosis of hypophosphatasia

Objective

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is the main laboratory marker of hypophosphatasia (HPP), a rare disease unknown to most physicians. The prevalence of HPP has been widely discussed in the literature due to the diverse phenotypes of HPP. The purpose of this study was to search for patients with hypophosphatasemia based on previous biochemistry tests and reevaluate them to confirm the diagnosis of HPP.

Methods

A total of 289,247 biochemical tests for ALP in adults were performed from 2015 to 2019 in two tertiary hospitals in Rio de Janeiro were reviewed (Clementino Fraga Filho University Hospital - HUCFF - and Bonsucesso Federal Hospital - BFH).

Results

A total of 1,049 patients were identified with ALP levels below 40 U/L, and 410 patients had hypophosphatasemia confirmed by at least two exams. After the active search of medical reports and/or interviews based on structured questionnaires, 398 subjects were excluded due to secondary causes of reduced ALP. The remaining 12 patients were invited to attend the medical consultation at HUCFF, accompanied by at least one first-degree relative. None of the patients or their relatives had a history or clinical manifestations consistent with HPP. Serum ALP was within reference values in all relatives, but persistently low in further laboratory evaluation in all the 12 patients, in whom secondary causes were ruled out. Thus, we cannot exclude the possibility that they might carry the mutations associated with HPP.

Conclusion

Further image evaluations and genetic testing would be appropriate to confirm this asymptomatic adult form of HPP.

Neonatal lethal hypophosphatasia: A case report and review of literature

RATIONALE

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a very rare metabolic bone disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in the ALPL gene encoding the tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase. The severe neonatal form is considered lethal but insights into manifestations of the disease can help to increase our knowledge of the natural history for an early initiation of treatment and improvement of survival.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We report the case of a newborn in which his fetal imaging showed findings of skeletal dysplasia disorder, considering initially achondroplasia as a potential diagnosis.

DIAGNOSIS

A definitive diagnosis compatible with perinatal lethal HPP was established in the 1st days due to the presentation at birth with thoracic and pulmonary hypoplasia, bone hypomineralization, and undetectable alkaline phosphatase. The genetic analysis identified a new heterozygous c.413G>C mutation and another 1 c.473-2G>C previously described in the ALPL gene.

OUTCOMES

The patient died on the 4th day by clinical course complicated without having started enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Retrospectively, previous analyzes of the parents already showed both a decreased alkaline phosphatase.

LESSONS

This report highlights the importance of prenatal differential diagnosis of bone dysplasia with the key biochemical marker of alkaline phosphatase in the parents. Substitutive ERT administered very soon after birth, seems to change the prognosis in these patients with neonatal HPP.