Mimicking Ketonuria in the Ketogenesis Defect 3-Hydroxy-3-MethylglutarylCoenzyme A Lyase Deficiency: An Artefact in the Analysis of Urinary Organic Acids

Abstract 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A lyase (HMGCL, HMGCL) deficiency is a rare inborn error of ketogenesis. Even if the ketogenic enzyme is fully disrupted, an elevated signal for the ketone body acetoacetic acid is a frequent observation in the analysis of urinary organic acids, at least if derivatization is performed by methylation. We provide an explanation for this phenomenon and trace it back to degradation of the derivatized 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid and high temperature of the injector of the gas chromatograph.