Enfermedad de Gaucher: evolución de dos casos de diagnóstico en edad pediátrica tras 20 años de seguimiento / Gaucher's disease: evolution of two cases diagnosed at paediatric age after 20 years of monitoring

La enfermedad de Gaucher (EG) es una afección hereditaria poco frecuente, progresiva, con un patrón de herencia autosómico recesivo. Es uno de los trastornos lisosomales más comunes, con una frecuencia estimada de 1/50.000 a 1/100.000 habitantes en la población general, a excepción de la etnia judía ashkenazi, cuya estimación está en 1/850 nacimientos. En este artículo se describe retrospectivamente la evolución de 2 pacientes con EG de tipo 1 diagnosticados y seguidos durante 20 anos en el Hospital Torrecardenas de Almería y que consiguieron revertir los síntomas con tratamiento enzimático sustitutivo de dosis intermedias. Ambos pacientes han permanecido estables con dosis de mantenimiento de enzima y, tras un largo seguimiento, las manifestaciones Oseas son mínimas y mantienen una calidad de vida adecuada

Gaucher's disease (GD) is an infrequent, progressive hereditary illness with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. It is one of the most common lysosomal diseases, with an estimated frequency of 1/50,000 to 1/100,000 in the general population, with the exception of the Ashkenazi Jewish ethnic group, where it is estimated to affect 1/850 births. This article retrospectively describes the evolution of 2 patients with type 1 GD diagnosed and monitored for 20 years at the Torrecárdenas hospital in Almería, managing to control the symptoms with enzyme replacement therapy at intermediate doses. Both patients have remained stable with maintenance enzyme doses and, after prolonged monitoring, effects on bones are minimal and they have adequate quality of life

Correlation of bone marrow response with hematological, biochemical, and visceral responses to enzyme replacement therapy of nonneuronopathic (type 1) Gaucher disease in 30 adult patients.

PURPOSE: This investigation correlates the marrow response with the degree of increase in hemoglobin (Hb) and platelet count (Plt); decrease in concentrations of plasma tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), serum ferritin, and plasma chitotriosidase; and decrease in liver and spleen size, measured by ultrasonography. METHODS: Thirty adult patients with nonneuronopathic (type 1) Gaucher disease (23% splenectomized) were followed for mean periods of 12 and 36 months. RESULTS: The series achieved highly significant mean responses in all hematological, biochemical, and visceral parameters over both observation periods; over a mean 36 months, 19 (63%) had a marrow response, 11 (37%) did not. Six of 7 splenectomized patients attained a marrow response. There were no significant differences between the marrow responders and nonresponders in age, sex, spleen status, Gaucher genotype distribution, mean baseline hematological or biochemical values or liver size, or mean follow-up. At a mean follow-up of 12 months, no significant differences yet were evident between marrow responders and nonresponders in seven of eight response parameters, but marrow responders had a significantly greater reduction in plasma chitotriosidase and a trend toward significantly greater reduction in serum ACE. At a mean follow-up of 36 months, marrow responders had a significantly greater mean increase in Plt and mean decrease in serum ferritin concentration and liver size than did marrow nonresponders; the trend toward greater ACE reduction in marrow responders deepened. However, chitotriosidase response now was equivalent in both subgroups. Marrow nonresponders had a significantly greater mean diminution in spleen size than did marrow responders, but the marrow nonresponders had significantly larger mean spleen size at baseline. Marrow nonresponders also had a greater mean increase in Hb than did marrow responders, but the difference was not significant. The two subgroups had equivalent mean reductions of plasma TRAP. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical relevance of qualitative MRI of the bone marrow in monitoring patients receiving ERT for nonneuronopathic Gaucher disease show that marrow nonresponders can derive considerable benefit from ERT across a variety of other response parameters and suggest an influence of spleen size on marrow response to ERT.

Delivery of hexosaminidase A to the cerebrum after osmotic modification of the blood--brain barrier.

The present studies were undertaken to evaluate the possibility that hexosaminidase A, the enzyme deficient in Tay--Sachs disease, could be effectively delivered to brain. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that hypertonic mannitol can be used to osmotically produce reversible disruption of the blood--brain barrier in animals (rat and dog) and man without significant neurotoxicity and that such barrier modification significantly increases the delivery of cytoreductive chemotherapy agents to selected areas of brain. By using the rat model of blood--brain barrier modification and radiolabeled enzyme, increased hexosaminidase A delivery to brain has been demonstrated in more than 85 animals. The time of injection of hexosaminidase A after blood--brain barrier disruption is critical for maximum delivery. Rapid (over 30 sec) intra-arterial administration of hexosaminidase A immediately after blood--brain barrier disruption resulted in a marked increase in enzyme delivery to the brain when compared with controls without prior barrier disruption. When the enzyme was administered 15-20 min after barrier disruption, approximately 50% less hexosaminidase A was delivered; when given 60-120 min after barrier modification, the amount delivered was the same as in control animals. This critical time course is very different than that seen in trials of low molecular weight chemotherapeutic agents (methotrexate and adriamycin). These preliminary studies suggest that hexosaminidase A can be delivered to the brain by blood--brain barrier modification and may be indicative of the potential for enzyme replacement in patients who hae Tay--Sachs disease.