Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0038002 (splenomegaly)
 9,873 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) deficiency leads to two phenotypically different diseases: cholesteryl ester storage disease (CESD) and Wolman's disease. Lysosomal acid lipase hydrolyzes cholesteryl esters and triglycerides. Deficiency of LAL results in intralysosomal storage of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides. CESD has a chronic and benign course and is characterized by hepatomegaly and mild hypercholesterolemia. It leads to fibrosis (cirrhosis) and early atherosclerosis. This report presents the clinical, biochemical and microscopic data of seven patients with CESD followed up over 10 years. The physical development of all the study children remained within the normal range; 7 patients had hepatomegaly and 6 also had splenomegaly. Three patients had normal cholesterol, triglycerides and transaminases values; the other four had slightly elevated levels for these parameters. The activity of LAL in all patients was reduced to below 30% of the lower normal value. Histologically, cholesteryl crystals and lipid storage vacuoles in Kupffer cells were present in all examined patients except one. Accumulation of cholesteryl esters was visible on thin-layer chromatography of lipid extracts obtained from liver biopsies.
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PMID:Clinical, biochemical and histological analysis of seven patients with cholesteryl ester storage disease. 944 50

Few cases of asymptomatic cholesteryl ester storage disease (CESD) due to low enzymatic activity of human lysosomal acid lipase/cholesteryl ester hydrolase (hLAL) have been reported thus far in adults Here, we describe a 51-year-old man with a long clinical history of mixed hyperlipoproteinemia and severe premature atherosclerosis, but with no signs of hepatomegaly, liver dysfunction, or splenomegaly. The disease was discovered by chance in a biopsy performed because of suspected liver cancer (proven to be a cholangiocarcinoma). Residual hLAL activity in peripheral leukocytes was determined to be 6% of control values. DNA sequence and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis demonstrated that the patient was a compound heterozygote for the prevalent CESD exon 8 splice site mutation (G934A) and the deletion of a C (nucleotide 673, 674, or 675) in exon 6 of the hLAL gene, resulting in premature termination of protein translation at residue 195. The patient died of liver failure as a consequence of extensive tumor infiltration at age 52. Lipid analysis revealed moderate cholesteryl ester storage in the liver and in the suprarenal cortex, and massive accumulation in the testicular histiocytes and Leydig cells, resulting in a pronounced secondary atrophy of the seminiferous tubules. Our case study demonstrates that hepatomegaly is an inconstant feature, even in CESD patients compound heterozygous for a Wolman mutation which results in complete loss of hLAL enzymic activity. It also highlights the need to be aware of this condition as it may be underdiagnosed.
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PMID:Subclinical course of cholesteryl ester storage disease in an adult with hypercholesterolemia, accelerated atherosclerosis, and liver cancer. 1073 26

The goal of this paper is to present a clinical case of a 4 year old boy, with hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and intestinal lipid infiltration due to a inborn error of lipid metabolism known as cholesterol ester storage disease. The main clinical manifestations were hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia. Duodenal endoscopy showed a yellow appearance of the mucous, and the histological study revealed the presence of macrophages with granular material. Liver biopsy showed steatosis infiltration at the hepatocytes, and macrophages with lipids. This disease is due to a lisosomal acid lipase partial deficiency, that is a glicoprotein that metabolize the hydrolysis of ester of cholesterol and triglycerides. The name of this pathology is cholesterol ester storage disease, but when the deficiency is total the name is Wolman's disease. We conclude that in all the children whit a clinical picture of hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia it is obligatory to rule out an inborn error of lipid metabolism like Wolman's disease or cholesterol ester storage disease.
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PMID:[Cholesterol ester storage disease]. 1575 90

A 10-day-old male neonate with feeding problems and splenomegaly had bilateral adrenal calcifications on plain abdominal X-ray caused by Wolman disease.
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PMID:[Diagnostic image (358). A neonate with splenomegaly and calcified adrenal glands]. 1832 Sep 45

Cholesteryl ester storage disease (CESD, OMIM #278000) and Wolman disease (OMIM #278000) are autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorders caused by a deficient activity of lysosomal acid lipase (cholesteryl ester hydrolase, LAL). Human lysosomal acid lipase is essential for the metabolism of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides. In Wolman disease, LAL activity is usually absent, whereas CESD usually presents some residual LAL activity. In infants, poor weight gain, massive hepatosplenomegaly, calcified adrenal glands (present about 2/3 of the time), vomiting, diarrhea and failure to thrive are indicative of Wolman disease. The clinical picture is more variable in CESD. Hepatomegaly and/or elevation of liver transaminases are almost always present. Hepatic steatosis often leads to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Other signs often include splenomegaly, high total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, and low HDL-cholesterol. The diagnosis of LAL deficiency requires clinical experience and specialized laboratory tests. The diagnosis is based on finding deficient activity of acid lipase and/or molecular tests. Pilot screening projects using dried blood spot testing in 1) children with atypical fatty liver disease in the absence of overweight, 2) patients with dyslipidaemia and presence of hepatomegaly and/or elevated transaminases, 3) newborns/neonates with hepatomegaly and abdominal distension/failure to thrive/elevated transaminases are currently underway. Early diagnosis is particularly important for the enzyme replacement therapy. Human trials with recombinant LAL are currently ongoing, raising the prospect for specific correction of LAL deficiency in this progressive and often debilitating disorder.
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PMID:Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency: wolman disease and cholesteryl ester storage disease. 2479

Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D) is an ultra-rare lysosomal storage disease that may present from infancy to late adulthood depending on residual enzyme activity. While the severe form manifests as a rapidly progressive disease with near universal mortality within the first 6 months of life, milder forms frequently go undiagnosed for prolonged periods and typically present with progressive fatty liver disease, enlarged spleen, atherogenic dyslipidemia and premature atherosclerosis. The adult variant of LAL-D is typically diagnosed late or even overlooked due to the unspecific nature of the presenting symptoms, which are similar to common changes observed in the context of the metabolic syndrome. This review is aimed at delineating clinically useful scenarios in which pediatric or adult medicine clinicians should be aware of LAL-D as a differential diagnosis for selected patients. This is particularly relevant as a potentially life-saving enzyme replacement therapy has become available and the diagnosis can easily be ruled out or confirmed using a dried blood spot test.
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PMID:Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency - early diagnosis is the key. 3121 32