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Guideline for the diagnosis and management of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (glutaric aciduria type I)

  • Guideline
  • Published:
Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease

Summary

Glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disease with an estimated overall prevalence of 1 in 100 000 newborns. Biochemically, the disease is characterized by accumulation of glutaric acid, 3-hydroxyglutaric acid, glutaconic acid, and glutarylcarnitine, which can be detected by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry of organic acids or tandem mass spectrometry of acylcarnitines. Clinically, the disease course is usually determined by acute encephalopathic crises precipitated by infectious diseases, immunizations, and surgery during infancy or childhood. The characteristic neurological sequel is acute striatal injury and, subsequently, dystonia. During the last three decades attempts have been made to establish and optimize therapy for GCDH deficiency. Maintenance treatment consisting of a diet combined with oral supplementation of L-carnitine, and an intensified emergency treatment during acute episodes of intercurrent illness have been applied to the majority of patients. This treatment strategy has significantly reduced the frequency of acute encephalopathic crises in early-diagnosed patients. Therefore, GCDH deficiency is now considered to be a treatable condition. However, significant differences exist in the diagnostic procedure and management of affected patients so that there is a wide variation of the outcome, in particular of pre-symptomatically diagnosed patients. At this time of rapid expansion of neonatal screening for GCDH deficiency, the major aim of this guideline is to re-assess the common practice and to formulate recommendations for diagnosis and management of GCDH deficiency based on the best available evidence.

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Abbreviations

3-OH-GA:

3-hydroxyglutaric acid

AA:

amino acid(s)

ADC:

apparent diffusion coefficient

AWMF:

Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften

BT-A:

botulinum toxin A

C5DC:

glutarylcarnitine

CCT:

cranial computed tomography

DBS:

dried blood spots

EPI-SE:

echo-planar imaging spin-echo

GA:

glutaric acid

GCDH:

glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase

GCP:

good clinical practice

GC-MS:

gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

GDG:

guideline developmental group

HPLC:

high-performance liquid chromatography

Lys:

lysine

MR:

magnetic resonance

MRI:

magnetic resonance imaging

MS/MS:

tandem mass spectrometry

SIGN:

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network

TE:

echo time

TR:

repetition time

Trp:

tryptophan

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Correspondence to S. Kölker.

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Communicating editor: Rodney Pollitt

Competing interests: A statement of competing interests is provided in the electronic supplementary material available online.

Contributions of authors: Full details are provided in the electronic supplementary material available online.

References to electronic databases: Glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (glutaric aciduria type I): OMIM # 231670 Glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase: EC 1.3.99.7

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Kölker, S., Christensen, E., Leonard, J.V. et al. Guideline for the diagnosis and management of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (glutaric aciduria type I). J Inherit Metab Dis 30, 5–22 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10545-006-0451-4

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