Is there an ethnic predisposition to mucolipidosis type II?

ABSTRACT

Mucolipidosis type II [I-cell disease] is a progressive disorder with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, usually leading to death by 5-8 years of age. Two of the four patients we have diagnosed have been Arabs, a Saudi seen in London, UK, and a Palestinian seen In Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. In the literature three further Arab patients are reported, which, together with the experience of our colleagues, indicates that there is an ethnic predisposition to mucolipidosis type II amongst Arabs