Chem Path: Metabolic disorders and screening 2 Flashcards
What are normal levels of ammonia?
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What is the urea cycle?
Converts ammonia to urea
What can go wrong in the urea cycle?
7 enzymes involved - Can have deficiency it any of them
Lysiniuric protein intolerance
HHH
Citrullinaemia type 2
What happens when there is something wrong with the urea cycle?
Hyperammonaemia
How are the urea cycle disorders inherited?
Recessive except for OTC deficiency which is x linked
What happens in hyperammonaemia?
Glutamate is attached to it to make glutamine in an attempt to get rid of urea
So plasma glutamine rises
What else can you measure to diagnose hyperammonaemia and urea cycle disorders
Urine orotic acid
How is hyperammonaemia treated
Sodium benzoate or sodium phenylacetate or dialysis
Low protein diet
How do hyperammonaemia and urea cycle disorders present
Respiratory alkalosis Vomiting without diarrhoea Cerebral oedema Seizures Comatose
What are associated with urea cycle disorders
ADHD/ Long standing mental illness
Methandrostenolone use
Creatinine supplement
What happens in organic acidurias
Defect in metabolism of leucine or isoleucine or valine
Isovaleryl CoA (a breakdown product of the amino acids) has to be broken down by isovaleryl CoA dehydrogenase. If this enzyme is deficient, you will have to excrete the compound as 3Oh isovaleric acid
How does isovaleric acid smell
Cheesy/ Sweaty smell
How do organic acidurias present?
Hyperammonaemia with METABOLIC ACIDOSIS and high anion gap
In neonates:
Unusual odour
Lethargy, feeding problems
Truncal hypotonia and limb hypertonia
Myoclonic jerks
How does the chronic intermittent form of organic acidurias present in kids
Recurrent ketoacidotic comas
Cerebral abnormalities
Reye syndrome
What is Reye syndrome
Rapidly progressing encephalopathy