Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0042963 (vomiting)
 31,883 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We report a 17-year-old female case of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency who died of brain edema due to hyperammonemic attack. The patient had a brother with OTC deficiency who had died of hyperammonemia at 17 years of age. She firstly had a symptom of headache, nausea, vomiting and myalgia at 14 years old and twice thereafter. On admission she had a severe disorientation and vomiting. The plasma ammonia level was 89 micrograms/dl, then increased to 400 micrograms/dl in five hours. In addition to plasma exchange, hemodialysis and then peritoneal dialysis for next 5 days, parenteral sodium benzoate and arginine were administered. Although the plasma ammonia level improved gradually, her consciousness never returned and she died of severe brain edema with uncontrollable hypotension on day 8. Histology of a necropsy liver sample showed fatty metamorphosis of hepatocytes mainly with fine lipid droplets. Electron micrograph of hepatocytes showed crystalloid inclusions in mitochondria. Significance of the clinical course and the treatment during hyperammonemic crisis was discussed.
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PMID:[Abrupt onset and rapid deterioration in the course of congenital ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency: a case report]. 221 May 91

We report on 21 male patients who presented after 28 days of age with ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, which we define as late-onset OTC deficiency. These patients appeared normal at birth, but irritability, vomiting, and lethargy, which were often episodic, later developed. The age at presentation ranged from 2 months to 44 years. Biochemical testing revealed hyperammonemia, hyperglutaminemia, hypocitrullinemia, increased urinary orotate excretion, and decreased liver OTC activity measured in vitro, which ranged from 0% to 15% of normal. Male patients who were older at presentation had a somewhat different pattern of presenting symptoms and were more likely to die. These data illustrate the phenotypic variability of OTC deficiency. Unexplained episodes of repetitive or protracted vomiting in association with progressive alterations in behavior or neurologic findings should suggest the diagnosis of a urea cycle defect (or another symptomatic inborn error of metabolism), regardless of the age or medical history of the patient.
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PMID:Late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency in male patients. 224 87

The patient, 2 years and 9 months of age, was referred to our hospital with complaints of frequent vomiting, left hemiconvulsion and deep coma. The serum ammonia level was 251 micrograms/dl. Urine had a high orotate level (3,900 mumol/g creatinine). There was 7% residual of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) activity in the liver. Activities of other enzymes of the urea cycle were within normal limits. CT scanning on admission showed diffuse low density of both frontal lobes and of the right temporo-parietal lobe, narrowing of the right lateral ventricle and a shift of the mid-line to the left. The diffuse low density area was not enhanced after contrast medium injection. Follow-up CT scanning showed progressive bilateral ventricular dilatation and cerebral and cerebellar atrophy.
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PMID:A female case of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency with marked computed tomographic abnormalities of the brain. 673 21

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency is an X-linked recessive disorder of urea biosynthesis characterized by recurrent, often fatal, hyperammonemic encephalopathy in affected males; carrier females are usually asymptomatic. We report here the clinical and laboratory findings in five symptomatic heterozygous females with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. In each case, the onset of symptoms occurred in the 1st year of life, but diagnosis was delayed by up to 15 years. Symptoms included recurrent vomiting with lethargy (five patients), dietary protein intolerance (five), irritability (four), severe acute encephalopathy (three), ataxia (three), and acute hemiparesis (two). All eventually showed evidence of developmental delay or learning difficulties. Two of the three who experienced severe, acute, hyperammonemic encephalopathy suffered serious, permanent neurologic sequelae. Three of the patients showed decreased ornithine transcarbamylase activity in liver obtained by needle biopsy, and the other two had marked orotic aciduria associated with hyperammonemia. Neuroimaging studies demonstrated persistent abnormal lobar attenuation and abnormal signal on computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance imaging. All patients showed marked symptomatic improvement on treatment with dietary protein restriction supplemented by pharmacologic measures to increase nonprotein nitrogen excretion. Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute or chronic encephalopathy in females at any age.
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PMID:Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency in females: an often overlooked cause of treatable encephalopathy. 749 56

Late onset of symptoms in a 12 1/2-year-old male with ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency were associated with unusual histological features in the liver. The patient presented with an acute onset of hyperammonemia and altered mental status after a 2-day prodrome of vomiting and lethargy. Physical examination showed a combative and disoriented male with icteric sclerae but with no fever or hepatomegaly. The plasma ammonia level was 282 microM. Enzyme assays of liver tissue obtained by percutaneous needle biopsy showed OTC activity of approximately 3% of normal; carbamyl phosphate synthetase was normal. Histopathological findings included severe microvesicular centrilobular steatosis. Hepatic architecture and reticulin framework were well preserved. Many hepatocyte nuclei were filled with glycogen. Electron microscopy showed mitochondria that were rounded and expanded with cristae at the edge of the mitochondrial membrane. In contrast to other reports, only slight variations in size and shape were seen. Megamitochondria and intramatrical paracrystalline inclusions were not identified. The cytoplasm contained scattered fat globules, peroxisomes, and dilated smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The prominent mitochondrial abnormalities commonly found in OTC deficiency were notably absent.
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PMID:Histopathological findings in a male with late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. 800 87

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is caused by an alteration of urea synthesis, linked with partial modification of the X-chromosome, whose clinical manifestations are: lethargy, nausea, vomiting and cerebral edema. While in newborn males OTCD presents with hyperammoniemia leading to cerebral palsy with profound neurological impairment and eventually death, in women who are healthy carriers, it is possible to detect the disorder only through specific tests, since heterozygote women are rarely symptomatic. We describe the case of a young woman admitted to the hospital after an episode of mental confusion with vomiting and psychomotor restlessness, which had previously occurred several times during the premenstruum and lasted a few hours. A 2 day history of stupor made admission mandatory. Tests carried out during the hospital stay showed marked hyperammoniemia and unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, marked cerebral edema documented by a CT scan. Liver biopsy and CSF test were normal. Screening of plasma and urinary aminoacids, level of orotic acid in the urine and OTC activity in the liver, confirmed the diagnosis of OTCD. The possibility of early diagnosis and therapy of a disease which otherwise leads to death, emphasizes the importance of precise evaluation of a possible organic cause of anorexia and behaviour disorders in young women.
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PMID:Hyperammoniemic coma in an adolescent girl: an unusual case of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. 828 23

Population-based studies of headache can help inform the development of diagnostic criteria. In population-based studies, migraine has been consistently revealed as a common disabling condition that affects males and females of all ages. From data obtained in a national survey of the United States population, we show that the prevalence of migraine and the frequency of attacks increase as household income decreases. Disability from attacks is not related to income. In contrast, physician diagnosis is more likely as household income increases. Moreover, physician diagnosis is more likely among females, older cases, those more likely to experience disability, and migraine sufferers reporting nausea (males), vomiting, and visual and sensory aura. Analysis of our data leads us to conclude that the symptoms most strongly associated with diagnosis may provide the greatest concern and interest on the part of physicians to make a diagnosis, even though other migraine-related symptoms are more common in the population and in clinical settings. Finally, among migraine sufferers with severe disability, a very large proportion do not receive the benefits of medical diagnosis and treatment. Though most migraine sufferers use OTC medications, given the frequency and associated disability of their migraine attacks, current therapy appears unsatisfactory.
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PMID:Migraine headache: epidemiology and health care utilization. 850 Jan 46

A case of a 13-year-old boy with protracted vomiting, ataxia, and altered mental status, ultimately diagnosed with late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, is presented. OTC deficiency is the most common urea cycle defect and typically is diagnosed in male infants with irritability, poor feeding, vomiting, lethargy, and often death caused by the effects of hyperammonemia. Late-onset OTC deficiency has been described in patients of all ages. The presenting symptoms in these patients vary but the most common are vomiting and lethargy. The pathophysiology, clinical features, differential diagnosis, and treatment of this disorder are discussed. Because of the risks of serious consequences, early detection and treatment of OTC deficiency and hyperammonemic episodes are mandatory. Emergency physicians caring for children and adults need to be aware of the spectrum of clinical presentations of OTC deficiency, including late-onset disease.
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PMID:Vomiting, ataxia, and altered mental status in an adolescent: late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. 885 3

Late-onset urea cycle disorder in a 20-month-old boy is unusually associated with Klinefelter syndrome with a 47XXY karyotype. We record the typical clinical and biochemical findings of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency in a young boy with a short history of recurrent vomiting, self mutilating behaviour, lethargy, ataxia and seizures. Laboratory studies showed hyperammonaemia and orotic aciduria, with normal citrulline and other urea cycle amino acids. Unfortunately, a liver biopsy for OTC activity measurement was refused by the parents. A rapid reversal of phenotype was seen on the introduction of a low-protein diet with accompanying benzoate and phenylbutyrate administration. Linkage studies suggested the inheritance of two X chromosomes, which was confirmed by karyotype analysis. Sequencing of all exons and immediate splice site regions revealed no sequence alterations in these sections of the OTC gene. A search for skewing of X-inactivation in the liver was not possible but we did show a random pattern of X-inactivation in leukocytes. The possibility of maternal X chromosome iso-disomy in our patient was discounted by microsatellite analysis, which revealed the inheritance of two independent X chromosomes. Mutation analysis in the OTC gene has shown that approximately 20% of patients with liver biopsy confirmed OTC deficiency do not have mutations in the coding or immediate splice-site sequences of this gene. Their classification as OTC phenocopies remains speculative, awaiting clarification of the underlying DNA alteration. We report on the novel association of OTC deficiency and Klinefelter syndrome with the additional interest of a probable unusual genetic defect underlying the OTC abnormality.
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PMID:An OTC deficiency 'phenocopy' in association with Klinefelter syndrome. 1718 14

There is a lack of awareness of acutely presenting inborn errors of metabolism in adults, of which the X-linked urea cycle defect ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is an example, many comparatively mild mutations having been identified. In male hemizygotes clinical manifestations and age at presentation vary and depend on the mutation. In female heterozygotes the clinical spectrum depends on the extent to which the abnormal gene is expressed. Milder versions of the defect may not cause clear clinical symptoms and may remain unrecognized until the person is subjected to an unusually high nitrogen load when they develop severe hyperammonaemia. During acute episodes liver enzymes may be normal or only slightly elevated and occasionally accompanied by coagulopathy, but the key finding is hyperammonaemia. Boys with these milder forms may exhibit abnormal behaviour and be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This case illustrates how late presentation of OTC deficiency in a non-specialist centre can be difficult to differentiate from drug abuse, psychiatric illness or encephalopathy. Failure to measure blood ammonia in adults with unexplained key symptoms - particularly prolonged vomiting without diarrhoea and altered mental state/hallucinations, or to recognize the significance of elevated blood ammonia without evidence of liver decompensation can lead to delayed or missed diagnosis.
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PMID:Fatal ammonia toxicity in an adult due to an undiagnosed urea cycle defect: under-recognition of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. 2040 75


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