Are patients with mitochondrial diseases prone to inflammatory and immune dysfunction: A scoping review and retrospective chart analysis

Abstract

Mitochondrial diseases (MDs) are a significant patient burden and are linked to the dysregulation of various metabolic processes and cellular energy production. Additionally, mitochondria play a central role in regulating immune function and inflammatory response. This study aimed to examine the connection between MD and immune dysfunction, including inflammation as a specific immune response to infection. A scoping literature review and retrospective chart review were conducted. The scoping review followed the five-stage methodology framework by Arksey and O'Malley, extracting 1823 articles from PubMed using Covidence as managing software, with full texts of 10 articles analyzed. A retrospective patient chart review was conducted on 92 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of MD from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. The scoping review identified cases of MDs associated with inflammation, including individuals with POLG-associated disease. Immune dysfunction was observed in a subset of complex MDs, particularly in individuals with biallelic variation in POLGF and ATAD3A, who had a heavy burden of disease. The results from both the scoping and retrospective chart reviews suggest an association between complex MD and altered inflammatory and immune functions.