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Elkhateeb N, Olivieri G, Siri B, Boyd S, Stepien KM, Sharma R, Morris AAM, Hartley T, Crowther L, Grunewald S, Cleary M, Mundy H, Chakrapani A, Lachmann R, Murphy E, Santra S, Uudelepp ML, Yeo M, Bernhardt I, Sudakhar S, Chan A, Mills P, Ridout D, Gissen P, Dionisi-Vici C, Baruteau J. Natural history of epilepsy in argininosuccinic aciduria provides new insights into pathophysiology: A retrospective international study. Epilepsia 2023; 64:1612-1626. [PMID: 36994644 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) is integral to the urea cycle, which enables nitrogen wasting and biosynthesis of arginine, a precursor of nitric oxide. Inherited ASL deficiency causes argininosuccinic aciduria, the second most common urea cycle defect and an inherited model of systemic nitric oxide deficiency. Patients present with developmental delay, epilepsy, and movement disorder. Here we aim to characterize epilepsy, a common and neurodebilitating comorbidity in argininosuccinic aciduria. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study in seven tertiary metabolic centers in the UK, Italy, and Canada from 2020 to 2022, to assess the phenotype of epilepsy in argininosuccinic aciduria and correlate it with clinical, biochemical, radiological, and electroencephalographic data. RESULTS Thirty-seven patients, 1-31 years of age, were included. Twenty-two patients (60%) presented with epilepsy. The median age at epilepsy onset was 24 months. Generalized tonic-clonic and focal seizures were most common in early-onset patients, whereas atypical absences were predominant in late-onset patients. Seventeen patients (77%) required antiseizure medications and six (27%) had pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Patients with epilepsy presented with a severe neurodebilitating disease with higher rates of speech delay (p = .04) and autism spectrum disorders (p = .01) and more frequent arginine supplementation (p = .01) compared to patients without epilepsy. Neonatal seizures were not associated with a higher risk of developing epilepsy. Biomarkers of ureagenesis did not differ between epileptic and non-epileptic patients. Epilepsy onset in early infancy (p = .05) and electroencephalographic background asymmetry (p = .0007) were significant predictors of partially controlled or refractory epilepsy. SIGNIFICANCE Epilepsy in argininosuccinic aciduria is frequent, polymorphic, and associated with more frequent neurodevelopmental comorbidities. We identified prognostic factors for pharmacoresistance in epilepsy. This study does not support defective ureagenesis as prominent in the pathophysiology of epilepsy but suggests a role of central dopamine deficiency. A role of arginine in epileptogenesis was not supported and warrants further studies to assess the potential arginine neurotoxicity in argininosuccinic aciduria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nour Elkhateeb
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK
| | - Giorgia Olivieri
- Division of Metabolism, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Barbara Siri
- Division of Metabolism, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Stewart Boyd
- Department of Neurophysiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Karolina M Stepien
- Mark Holland Metabolic Unit, Adult Inherited Metabolic Diseases Department, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
| | - Reena Sharma
- Mark Holland Metabolic Unit, Adult Inherited Metabolic Diseases Department, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
| | - Andrew A M Morris
- Willink Unit, Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester, UK
| | - Thomas Hartley
- Willink Unit, Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester, UK
| | - Laura Crowther
- Willink Unit, Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester, UK
| | - Stephanie Grunewald
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
- University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- National Institute of Health Research Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
| | - Maureen Cleary
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Helen Mundy
- Evelina London Children's Hospital, St Thomas's Hospital, London, UK
| | - Anupam Chakrapani
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Robin Lachmann
- Charles Dent Metabolic Unit, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Elaine Murphy
- Charles Dent Metabolic Unit, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Saikat Santra
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Mari-Liis Uudelepp
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Mildrid Yeo
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Isaac Bernhardt
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Sniya Sudakhar
- Department of Radiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Alicia Chan
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Philippa Mills
- University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Debora Ridout
- Willink Unit, Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester, UK
| | - Paul Gissen
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
- University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- National Institute of Health Research Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
| | - Carlo Dionisi-Vici
- Division of Metabolism, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Julien Baruteau
- Department of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, London, UK
- University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- National Institute of Health Research Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
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