Yonghua Feng, Shicheng Xu, Yi Feng, Na Zhao, Linan Xu, Ye Fang, Hongen Xu, Lu Mao, Zhigang Wang, Jiancheng Guo, Guiwen Feng, Jia Rao, Wenjun Shang
{"title":"Genetic testing in pediatric kidney transplant recipients to promote informed choice and improve individualized monitoring.","authors":"Yonghua Feng, Shicheng Xu, Yi Feng, Na Zhao, Linan Xu, Ye Fang, Hongen Xu, Lu Mao, Zhigang Wang, Jiancheng Guo, Guiwen Feng, Jia Rao, Wenjun Shang","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03379-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03379-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The growing body of research on kidney disease in children has identified a broad spectrum of genetic etiologies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of an optimized genetic test and subclinical changes in a real-world context before kidney transplantation. All cases involved recipients under the age of 18 who underwent whole exome sequencing (ES) between 2013 and 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study population included 244 children, with a median age of 13.1 years at transplantation. ES provided a molecular genetic diagnosis in 114 (46.7%) probands with monogenic variants in 15 known disease-causing genes. ES confirmed the suspected clinical diagnosis in 74/244 (30.3%) cases and revised the pre-exome clinical diagnoses in 40/244 (16.4%) cases. ES also established a specific underlying cause for kidney failure for 19 patients who had previously had an unknown etiology. Genetic diagnosis influenced clinical management in 88 recipients (36.1%), facilitated genetic counseling for 18 families (7.4%), and enabled comprehensive assessment of living donor candidates in 35 cases (14.3%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Genetic diagnosis provides critical insights into the pathogenesis of kidney disease, optimizes clinical strategies concerning risk assessment of living donors, and enhances disease surveillance of recipients.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11448020/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142372469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eliane Sardh, Manisha Balwani, David C Rees, Karl E Anderson, Gang Jia, Marianne T Sweetser, Bruce Wang
{"title":"Long-term follow-up of givosiran treatment in patients with acute intermittent porphyria from a phase 1/2, 48-month open-label extension study.","authors":"Eliane Sardh, Manisha Balwani, David C Rees, Karl E Anderson, Gang Jia, Marianne T Sweetser, Bruce Wang","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03284-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03284-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Acute hepatic porphyria is a group of multisystem disorders of which acute intermittent porphyria is the most common subtype. Givosiran, a subcutaneously administered RNA interference therapeutic targeting liver ALAS mRNA, is approved for treating these disorders. This Phase 1/2 open-label extension study (NCT02949830) evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of givosiran in adults with acute intermittent porphyria, with follow-up of up to 48 months, which is the longest follow-up of givosiran treatment to date. Participants were adults aged 18-65 years who completed part C of the Phase 1 givosiran study (NCT2452372).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Enrollees received givosiran for up to 48 months. Primary and secondary endpoints included the incidence of adverse events, changes in urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and porphobilinogen (PBG) levels, annualized rate of porphyria attacks, and annualized hemin use. Quality of life was assessed using the EQ-5D-5L instrument as an exploratory endpoint.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixteen patients (median age: 39.5 years) participated. Common adverse events included abdominal pain, nasopharyngitis, and nausea (50% each), with injection-site erythema (38%) and injection-site pruritus (25%) noted as frequent treatment-related reactions. Givosiran therapy reduced annualized rates of porphyria attacks and hemin use by 97% and 96%, respectively. From months > 33 to 48, all patients were free from attacks requiring significant medical intervention and did not use hemin. There were substantial reductions in median urinary ALA and PBG of 95% and 98%, respectively. Additionally, a clinically meaningful improvement in quality of life was observed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In the longest follow-up of givosiran-treated patients reported to date, the therapy maintained an acceptable safety profile and demonstrated sustained improvements in clinical outcomes over 4 years in patients with acute intermittent porphyria.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11448181/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142372482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eleonore M Corazolla, Eline C B Eskes, Jorien Veldwijk, Marion M M G Brands, Hanka Dekker, Erica van de Mheen, Mirjam Langeveld, Carla E M Hollak, Barbara Sjouke
{"title":"Different diseases, different needs: Patient preferences for gene therapy in lysosomal storage disorders, a probabilistic threshold technique survey.","authors":"Eleonore M Corazolla, Eline C B Eskes, Jorien Veldwijk, Marion M M G Brands, Hanka Dekker, Erica van de Mheen, Mirjam Langeveld, Carla E M Hollak, Barbara Sjouke","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03371-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03371-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Gene therapy is currently in development for several monogenetic diseases including lysosomal storage disorders. Limited evidence is available on patient preferences for gene therapy in this population. In this study, we compare gene therapy-related risk tolerance between people affected by three lysosomal storage diseases currently faced with different therapeutic options and prognoses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A survey including the probabilistic threshold technique was developed in which respondents were asked to choose between gene therapy and the current standard of care. The attributes included to establish participants' risk tolerance were previously identified in focus groups of affected people or their representatives, namely: risk of mild side effects, severe side effects, the need for additional medication, and the likelihood of long-term effectiveness. The survey was distributed among people receiving outpatient care for type 1 Gaucher disease (good prognosis with current treatment options), Fabry disease (varying prognosis with current treatment options, XY-genotype on average more severely affected than XX), and parents representing people with severe forms of mucopolysaccharidosis type III A/B (poor prognosis, no disease-specific therapy available).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 85 surveys were completed (15 Gaucher disease respondents, 62 Fabry disease respondents (17 self-identifying male), eight parents of ten people with mucopolysaccharidosis type III). Disease groups with higher disease severity trended towards higher risk tolerance: Gaucher disease respondents were most cautious and predominantly preferred the current standard of care as opposed to MPS III representatives who were more risk tolerant. Respondents with Fabry disease were most heterogeneous in their risk tolerance, with male participants being more risk tolerant than female participants. Long-term effectiveness was the attribute in which respondents tolerated the least risk.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>People affected by a lysosomal storage disease associated with a poorer prognosis and less effective current treatment options trended towards more risk tolerance when choosing between gene therapy and the current standard of care. This study shows the importance of involvement of patient preferences before and during the development process of new treatment modalities such as gene therapy for rare diseases, to ensure that innovative therapies align with the wishes and needs of people affected by these diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11451020/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142372468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michiel S Oerbekke, Robert A de Man, Frederike G I van Vilsteren, Maarten W Nijkamp, Eric Tjwa, Charlotte M W Gaasterland, Maarten J van der Laan, Lotty Hooft
{"title":"Exploring transparent reporting and data availability in systematic reviews to identify subgroup evidence: imaging for suspected hepatocellular carcinoma in the non-cirrhotic liver.","authors":"Michiel S Oerbekke, Robert A de Man, Frederike G I van Vilsteren, Maarten W Nijkamp, Eric Tjwa, Charlotte M W Gaasterland, Maarten J van der Laan, Lotty Hooft","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03356-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03356-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We aim to illustrate the role of complete and transparent reporting coupled with access to data sourced from published systematic reviews, especially assisting in the identification of evidence for subgroups within the context of a rare disease. To accomplish this principle, we provide a real-world example encountered during the revision of the Dutch clinical practice guideline for hepatocellular carcinoma. Specifically, we retrieved insights from two Cochrane reviews to identify direct evidence concerning the diagnostic test accuracy of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for detecting hepatocellular carcinomas in suspected patients without liver cirrhosis. Through reusing the Cochrane review authors' efforts already undertaken in their exhaustive literature search and selection, we successfully identified relevant direct evidence for this subgroup of suspected patients without cirrhosis and performed an evidence synthesis within the constraints of limited resources for the guideline revision. This approach holds the potential for replication in other subgroups in the context of rare diseases, contingent on the transparent and complete reporting of systematic reviews, as well as the availability and accessibility of their extracted data. Consequently, we underscore the importance of adhering to established reporting guidelines for systematic reviews, while simultaneously advocating for increased availability and accessibility to data. Such practices would not only increase the transparency and reproducibility of systematic reviews but could also increase reusability of their data. In turn, the increased reusability could result in reduced resource utilization in other sectors such as the guideline developing community as we show in our example.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11448413/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142366075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Therapeutic delivery of recombinant glucocerebrosidase enzyme-containing extracellular vesicles to human cells from Gaucher disease patients.","authors":"Keatdamrong Janpipatkul, Nareerat Sutjarit, Amornrat Tangprasittipap, Tai Chaiamarit, Pawarit Innachai, Kanoknetr Suksen, Tanida Chokpanuwat, Thipwimol Tim-Aroon, Usanarat Anurathapan, Natee Jearawiriyapaisarn, Alisa Tubsuwan, Supareak Bowornpinyo, Nithi Asavapanumas, Arthit Chairoungdua, Kanit Bhukhai, Suradej Hongeng","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03376-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03376-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Gaucher disease (GD) is one of the most common types of lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) caused by pathogenic variants of lysosomal β-glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA1), resulting in the impairment of Glucocerebrosidase (GCase) enzyme function and the accumulation of a glycolipid substrate, glucosylceramide (GlcCer) within lysosomes. Current therapeutic approaches such as enzyme replacement therapy and substrate reduction therapy cannot fully rescue GD pathologies, especially neurological symptoms. Meanwhile, delivery of lysosomal enzymes to the endocytic compartment of affected human cells is a promising strategy for treating neuropathic LSDs.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>Here, we describe a novel approach to restore GCase enzyme in cells from neuropathic GD patients by producing extracellular vesicle (EVs)-containing GCase from cells overexpressing GBA1 gene. Lentiviral vectors containing modified GBA1 were introduced into HEK293T cells to produce a stable cell line that provides a sustainable source of functional GCase enzyme. The GBA1-overexpressing cells released EV-containing GCase enzyme, that is capable of entering into and localizing in the endocytic compartment of recipient cells, including THP-1 macrophage, SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma, and macrophages and neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of neuropathic GD patients. Importantly, the recipient cells exhibit higher GCase enzyme activity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study presents a promising therapeutic strategy to treat severe types of LSDs. It involves delivering lysosomal enzymes to the endocytic compartment of human cells affected by conditions such as GDs with neurological symptoms, as well as potentially other neurological disorders impacting lysosomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11445852/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142366076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kristine Ivanova, Olga Ribakova, Anna Mihailova, Evelina Mozeitovica, Anda Kadisa, Julija Zepa, Viktorija Kenina, Natalja Kurjane, Inita Bulina
{"title":"Prevalence and gender - specific analysis of a systemic sclerosis cohort in Latvia.","authors":"Kristine Ivanova, Olga Ribakova, Anna Mihailova, Evelina Mozeitovica, Anda Kadisa, Julija Zepa, Viktorija Kenina, Natalja Kurjane, Inita Bulina","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03355-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03355-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is considered by many to be one of the most severe autoimmune rheumatic diseases with lower prevalence observed in Northern Europe. No previous studies on the prevalence of SSc in Latvia have been conducted and the aim was to study the demographic and clinical data of patients with SSc in northeastern Europe country.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study was conducted in two main Latvian hospitals for adults and includes patients with SSc who were consulted between 2016 and 2021.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>During the study period, 159 patients with SSc were consulted. The point prevalence on 1 January 2021 was 84.0 per million. Female to male ratio was 4.67:1, and highest gender ratio was observed in the age group 70-79-year (6.75:1). Antinuclear antibodies were present in 82.58% of patients, without gender difference. Centromere pattern was more frequently observed in females (40.19% vs. 19.04%), in contrast to speckled pattern (50.98% vs. 57.14%). At disease onset females tended to be younger (46.51 ± 13.52) than males (50.5 ± 16.64). Males had more diffuse cutaneous subtype, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension and esophageal dysmotility. More than half of patients received treatment with glucocorticoids at any point of the disease (68.31%), without gender difference.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Systemic sclerosis is less common in Latvia than in other countries and regions. Due to its location, the data from Latvia are consistent with a north-south gradient in Europe. Gender ratio differences persisted in older age groups as well. Antinuclear antibodies presence did not differ between genders, but in female's centromere pattern was much more likely to be present. Males had more severe disease course, but in both genders more than half of patients received treatment with GCs at any point of the disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11443687/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142351419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Challenges in the diagnosis of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva with the ACVR1 mutation (c.774G > C, p.R258S): a case report and review of literature.","authors":"Siqi Yang, Rongrong Cui, Jialin Li, Ruchun Dai","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03363-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03363-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The diagnosis of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva is missed or delayed because of its insidious precursors, especially in uncharacteristic cases. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, which mostly displayed the mutation c.617G > A, p.R206H, is characterized by congenital malformation of the great toe and progressive extra-skeletal ossification of ligaments, tendons and muscles. The mutation c.774G > C, p.R258S (HGVS: NC_000002.11:g.158626896 C > G) in activin A receptor type I is an infrequent etiology of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva and can present different clinical features. Awareness of these multiple clinical features will help endocrinologists in the early diagnosis of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. We report a case of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva with the activin A receptor type I mutation c.774G > C, p.R258S, which was diagnosed before its ossifying period.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11443894/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142351408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yi-Chu Du, Ling-Han Ma, Quan-Fu Li, Yin Ma, Yi Dong, Zhi-Ying Wu
{"title":"Genotype-phenotype correlation and founder effect analysis in southeast Chinese patients with sialidosis type I.","authors":"Yi-Chu Du, Ling-Han Ma, Quan-Fu Li, Yin Ma, Yi Dong, Zhi-Ying Wu","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03378-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03378-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sialidosis type 1 (ST-1) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutation in the NEU1 gene. However, limited reports on ST-1 patients in the Chinese mainland are available.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study reported the genetic and clinical characteristics of 10 ST-1 patients from southeastern China. A haplotype analysis was performed using 21 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers of 500 kb flanking the recurrent c.544 A > G in 8 families harboring the mutation. Furthermore, this study summarized and compared previously reported ST-1 patients from Taiwan and mainland China.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five mutations within NEU1 were found, including two novel ones c.557 A > G and c.799 C > T. The c.544 A > G mutation was most frequent and identified in 9 patients, 6 patients were homozygous for c.544 A > G. Haplotype analysis revealed a shared haplotype surrounding c.544 A > G was identified, suggesting a founder effect presenting in southeast Chinese population. Through detailed assessment, 52 ST-1 patients from 45 families from Taiwan and mainland China were included. Homozygous c.544 A > G was the most common genotype and found in 42.2% of the families, followed by the c.544 A > G/c.239 C > T compound genotype, which was observed in 22.2% of the families. ST-1 patients with the homozygous c.544 A > G mutation developed the disease at a later age and had a lower incidence of cherry-red spots significantly.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results contribute to gaps in the clinical and genetic features of ST-1 patients in southeastern mainland China and provide a deeper understanding of this disease to reduce misdiagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11443879/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142351411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Moritz Ilan Truninger, Helene Werner, Markus Andreas Landolt, Andreas Hahn, Julia B Hennermann, Florian B Lagler, Dorothea Möslinger, Charlotte Pfrimmer, Marianne Rohrbach, Martina Huemer
{"title":"Living with Pompe disease: results from a qualitative interview study with children and adolescents and their caregivers.","authors":"Moritz Ilan Truninger, Helene Werner, Markus Andreas Landolt, Andreas Hahn, Julia B Hennermann, Florian B Lagler, Dorothea Möslinger, Charlotte Pfrimmer, Marianne Rohrbach, Martina Huemer","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03368-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-024-03368-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Children and adolescents with Pompe disease (PD) face chronic and progressive myopathy requiring time-intensive enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Little is known about their perspectives on the disease and its treatment. This study explored their perceptions of disease symptoms and functioning status, and more subjective feelings about the impacts on their lives as part of developing a disease-specific questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eleven pediatric patients aged 8-18 years and 26 caregivers from six children's hospitals in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland underwent semi-structured interviews. Data were recorded, transcribed using MAXQDA software, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. A system of meaningful categories was developed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixteen main categories were derived across four major thematic areas: perceptions of symptoms and limitations, experiences to do with the biopsychosocial impact of PD, treatment experiences, and general emotional well-being/burden. Participants demonstrated broad heterogeneity in symptom perceptions such as muscle weakness, breathing difficulties, pain, and fatigue. Emotional appraisals of limitations were not directly proportional to their severity, and even comparatively minor impairments were often experienced as highly frustrating, particularly for social reasons. The main psychosocial topics were social exclusion vs. inclusion and experiences to do with having a disease. The main finding regarding treatment was that switching ERT from hospital to home was widely viewed as a huge relief, reducing the impact on daily life and the burden of infusions. Emotional well-being ranged from not burdened to very happy in most children and adolescents, including the most severely affected.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study provided qualitative insights into the perceptions and experiences of pediatric PD patients. Interestingly, biopsychosocial burden was not directly related to disease severity, and tailored psychosocial support could improve health-related quality of life. The present findings ensure the content validity of a novel questionnaire to be tested as a screening tool to identify patients in need of such support.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11438293/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142351413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erik Landfeldt, Alberto Alemán, Sophia Abner, Rongrong Zhang, Christian Werner, Ioannis Tomazos, Hanns Lochmüller, Ros M Quinlivan, Karim Wahbi
{"title":"Predictors of cardiac disease in duchenne muscular dystrophy: a systematic review and evidence grading.","authors":"Erik Landfeldt, Alberto Alemán, Sophia Abner, Rongrong Zhang, Christian Werner, Ioannis Tomazos, Hanns Lochmüller, Ros M Quinlivan, Karim Wahbi","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03372-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03372-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rare disease that causes progressive muscle degeneration resulting in life-threatening cardiac complications. The objective of this systematic literature review was to describe and grade the published evidence of predictors of cardiac disease in DMD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The review encompassed searches of Embase, MEDLINE ALL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2022, for predictors of cardiac disease in DMD. The certainty of evidence (i.e., very low to high) was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) framework.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We included 33 publications encompassing 9,232 patients with DMD. We found moderate- to high-quality evidence that cardiac medication (i.e., ACE inhibitors [enalapril and perindopril], β-blockers [carvedilol], and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists [eplerenone]) are significantly associated with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), and left ventricular circumferential strain (LVCS). DMD mutations in exons 51 and 52 were found to be significantly associated with lower risk of cardiomyopathy; deletions treatable by exon 53 skipping and mutations in the Dp116 coding region with improved LVEF and prolonged cardiac dysfunction-free survival; and exons 45-50 and 52 with early left ventricular systolic dysfunction (low/very low-quality evidence). We found high-quality evidence that glucocorticoids (deflazacort) are significantly associated with preserved LVEF and improved fractional shortening (FS), and low-quality evidence that glucocorticoids (deflazacort, prednisone, and/or prednisolone) are associated with improved ejection fraction (EF) and lower risk of cardiomyopathy, ventricular dysfunction, and heart failure-related mortality. Full-time mechanical ventilation was found to be significantly correlated with LVEF (low-quality evidence), muscle strength with FS (low-quality evidence), and genetic modifiers (i.e., LTBP4 rs10880 and ACTN3) with LVEF, lower risk of cardiomyopathy and left ventricular dilation (low-quality evidence).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Several sources of cardiac disease heterogeneity are well-studied in patients with DMD. Yet, the certainty of evidence is generally low, and little is known of the contribution of non-pharmacological interventions, as well as the impact of different criteria for initiation of specific treatments. Our findings help raise awareness of prevailing unmet needs, shape expectations of treatment outcomes, and inform the design of future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11439250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142351415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}