Approach To Inborn Errors Of Metabolism Flashcards
Classification of IEM
Based on substate / organelle
1. Small molecule disease (Intoxication)
- Aminoacidopathies (urea cycle enzyme defects, maple syrup urine disease)
- Organic acidopathies
- Organelle disease (Making and breaking complex molecules)
- Lysosomal
- Peroxisomal
- Glycosylation
- Cholesterol synthesis defect
- Congenital disorders - In-between (Energy insufficiency + Making and breaking complex molecules)
- Fatty acid disorders
- Glycogen storage disorder
- Mitochondrial disorder
- Lactic acidosis
Based on clinical features:
1. Neurological deterioration
- can present as intoxication (acute encephalopathy), making and breaking complex molecules (chronic encephalopathy, developmental regression)
2. Acid-base disorders
3. Cardiac disorders / myopathies
4. Hypoglycaemia
5. Liver disease
6. Storage / Dysmorphism / Hydrops
Effect of IEM
Transport proteins across membrane:
1. Cystinuria
2. Lysinuric protein intolerance
3. HHH syndrome (Hyperornithinemia-hyperammonemia-homocitrullinuria syndrome)
Accumulation of substrate:
1. Maple syrup urine disease (Leucine)
Excessive secondary substrate (due to diversion to secondary pathway):
1. Propionic acid
Deficiency of product:
1. Glucose
Secondary inhibition:
1. Succinyl acetone (tyrosinaemia) and prophyria
Small molecule vs Organelle disease
Small molecule disease:
- Onset: Sudden, acute
- Course: Remission + Relapse
- Physical findings: Non-specific
- Investigation: Specific pattern in “Metabolic screen”
- Histopathology: Non-specific
- Response to treatment: Brisk
Organelle disease:
- Onset: Gradual
- Course: Progressive
- Physical findings: Characteristic
- Investigation: No specific pattern
- Histopathology: Characteristic
- Response to treatment: Poor (but changing)
Metabolic emergencies
- Intoxication
- Typically a term newborn who after a symptom free period (∵ not yet ingest food + time needed to accumulate toxin) suffer a progressive course leading to lethargy, feed refusal, vomiting, tachypnea, autonomic instability, motor automatism, apnea, seizure, coma, respiratory arrest
- Intoxication from a small molecule:
—> Ammonia
—> Leucine (a BCAA)
—> Organic acid (toxic)
DDx:
- Infection
- Heart failure
- Drug intoxication (in baby / mother)
- CNS disease
- Energy insufficiency (Disorder of energy metabolism)
—> Hypoglycaemia
—> Lactic acidosis
- Collapse, drowsy, LOC (not a lot of autonomic instability, cerebral edema, neurological deterioration vs Intoxication)
- Organ failure due to interruption of normal energy sources
—> Glucose (Most organs, obligatory RBC)
—> Fat / Ketones (Brain, Heart)
- Disorders of:
—> Glycogenolysis
—> CHO utilisation
—> Gluconeogenesis
—> Ketogenesis
Amino acid metabolism
A.A.
—> NH3 —> Urea cycle
or
—> Organic acid —> Krebs cycle —> Electron transport chain
Ammonia
Play a part in:
- Urea cycle defects (most common) (Alkalosis)
- Some other amino acid disorders
- Organic acidaemias (most common) (Acidosis)
- Fatty acid oxidation defects (Normal / Acidosis)
- Energy / Mitochondrial disorders (Acidosis (∵ anaerobic respiration))
Measure in:
- Any patient with unexplained lethargy / altered sensorium
Most common cause of abnormal NH3:
- Suboptimal technique / processing specimen
—> Be quick in obtaining specimen, minimise blood stasis / muscle manipulation
—> Keep on ice, transport STAT to lab
Normal range:
- Term neonate: <=100 mmol/L
- Preterm neonate: <=150 mmol/L (IEM: ~>200)
- Well infant and beyond: <=40 mmol/L (IEM: ~>100)
Organic acidaemia vs Urea cycle disorder
Organic acidaemia:
- pH: Low
- HCO3: Low
- pCO2: Low (secondary hyperventilation)
Urea cycle disorder:
- pH: High (ammonia a potent respiratory stimulator —> respiratory alkalosis)
- HCO3: Low (secondary metabolic compensation)
- pCO2: Low
Urea cycle defect
- Alkalosis
- ↑NH3
- ↓Urea
- ↑/↓ Citrulline (depends on proximal / distal pathway defect)
- Orotic acid (if OTC deficiency: Secondary substrate accumulation)
2 pathways of cycle:
1. Mitochondrial (Proximal pathway)
2. Extra-mitochondrial (Distal pathway)
Locating defect by Patterns of amino acid changes:
1. Citrulline (Low indicate proximal pathway defect, High indicate distal pathway defect)
NB:
- OTC deficiency: X-linked disorder, Poor prognosis
Organic acidaemia
Measure urine organics (not blood ∵ kidney will concentrate organic acid —> easier to measure):
- 3OH proprionic acid
- Tiglic acid
- Tiglylglycine
- Propionylglycine
- Methylcitrate
Organic acid:
- Intermediate metabolite for metabolism of amino acid + fatty acid
- Cause primary / secondary metabolic effects (e.g. enzyme inhibition of NAGS by Propionic acid —> NAGS inhibited —> ↑NH3, Glycine cleavage enzyme inhibition —> ↑Glycine)
- Measured directly via urine organic acid
- Measured indirect via Acylcarnitines
Acylcarnitines:
- Carnitines: transporter for excretion
- Carrier of organic acid
- ↑ during organic acidaemia
Glutamine, Glycine:
- Carrier of organic acid for excretion
- Non-specific to enzyme defect
- ↑ during organic acidaemia
Maple syrup urine disease:
- Affect enzyme high up in pathway —> Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine accumulation (BCAA: toxic to body)
Isovaleric acidaemia:
- Isovaleric CoA accumulation
- Sweaty feet odour
Methylmalonic acidaemia:
- Methylmalonyl CoA accumulation
Investigations of Intoxication defects
- CBC
- Organic acid toxic to bone marrow —> BM depression —> Pancytopenia - LFT
- Blood gas
- Alkalosis —> Urea cycle defect
- Acidosis —> Organic acidaemia - Anion gap
- Na, Cl, HCO3 - Glucose
- Lactate
- Urine for Ketone
- Plasma ammonia
- Plasma amino acid
- Urine orotic / arginosuccinic acid
- Urine organic acid
- Acylcarnitine
Treatment of hyperammonaemia (only need to know principle)
Emergency:
1. Stop protein
- Stop giving milk
- But not prolonged ∵ body will run into catabolism —> cause secondary deterioration
- Reduce catabolism
- 10% Dextrose +/- Insulin / Lipid (for more balanced energy level) - Remove NH3
- Alternative pathway (Sodium Benzoate / Phenylbutyrate —> help excretion of nitrogen group)
- Extracorporeal detoxification (HDF > HF > HD (not PD), indicated when encephalopathy / NH3 >300) - Replenish urea cycle intermediate, carnitine / glycine in organic acidaemia
- Arginine, Citrulline, Carbaglu
- Carnitine - Promote urinary excretion
- Forced diuresis
Hypoglycaemia
- Overutilisation of glucose
- Excessive removal (e.g. Hyperinsulism)
- Insufficient alternative (e.g. Fatty acid oxidation defect —> needing to utilise glucose instead) - Underproduction of glucose
- Gluconeogenesis (e.g. GSD type 1)
Timing of hypoglycaemia:
Phase 1: Post-prandial <2.5 hours after meal
- Hyperinsulism
- Hereditary fructose intolerance (cannot be metabolised, CHO utilisation defect)
Phase 2: Short fast 2.5-12 hours after meal
- Glycogenolysis defects
- Gluconeogenesis defects
Phase 3: Medium to long fast >12 hours after meal
- Gluconeogenesis defects
- Mostly fatty acid oxidation defects with hypoketosis (Low ketone (worse than high ketone since brain cannot even use ketone for energy))
- Ketotic hypoglycaemia with major ketosis (High ketone)
Fatty acid oxidation defect
Long chain fatty acyl CoA (16-18 Carbon)
—> with help of Carnitine
—> go into Mitochondrial via mitochondrial membrane
—> Carnitine recycled by enzymes
—> Long chain fatty acyl CoA
—> Long chain β-oxidation enzymes will come to metabolise
—> Carbon chain of fatty acid shorten
—> Medium chain fatty acyl CoA
—> Medium chain β-oxidation enzymes will come to metabolise
—> Short chain fatty acyl CoA
—> Short chain β-oxidation enzymes will come to metabolise
—> End product: Acetyl CoA
—> Acetyl CoA form Ketone
(Medium chain fatty acyl CoA do not require carnitine for transportation)
Hyperinsulinism vs FAO defect
Triglyceride —(Glycolysis via Glucagon / Epinephrine action (Insulin inhibit Glycolysis))—> Free fatty acid + Glycerol
—> Free fatty acid (FFA) —(FAO)—> Ketone (3HOB)
—> Glycerol —> Glucose
FFA / 3HOB ratio <3 —> Hyperinsulinism
FFA / 3HOB ratio >3 —> FAO defect
Investigations for Hypoglycaemia
FAOD:
1. True glucose
2. Urine ketones
3. Urine organics
4. Acylcarnitines
5. FFA/3HOB ratio
Endocrine disorders:
6. Insulin
7. Cortisol
8. GH
Glycogen storage disease:
9. Lactate
10. NH3
11. Urate
12. Lipids
13. LFT
14. CK