Clinical Description
Lipoid proteinosis (LP) is characterized by deposition of hyaline-like material that results in a hoarse voice from early infancy and characteristic skin lesions.
To date, more than 400 individuals have been identified with biallelic pathogenic variants in ECM1 [LeWitt et al 2021]. The following description of the phenotypic features associated with this condition is based on these reports.
Table 2.
Lipoid Proteinosis: Frequency of Select Features
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Feature | Frequency |
---|
In nearly all | Common | Infrequent |
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Hoarse voice | ● | | |
Severe dysphonia &/or complete aphonia | | ● | |
Breathing difficulties | | ● | |
Recurrent parotitis | | | ● |
Poor dental health | | ● | |
Thickened sublingual frenulum | ● | | |
Vesicles & hemorrhagic crusts | ● | | |
Moniliform blepharosis | ● | | |
Hyperkeratotic & verrucous lesions | | ● | |
Patchy & diffuse alopecia | | | ● |
Epilepsy | | | ● |
Neuropsychiatric disorders | | ● | |
Spontaneous CNS hemorrhage | | | ● |
Gastrointestinal bleeding | | | ● |
Oral and upper-airway manifestations. A hoarse voice, often evident at birth or in early infancy as a weak cry, is present in essentially all individuals with LP, usually persists lifelong, and can progress to severe dysphonia and/or complete aphonia [Savage et al 1988]. In addition, involvement of the mucosae of the pharynx, soft palate, tonsils, and lips may lead to pulmonary manifestations, especially upper-respiratory tract infection. In some individuals, infiltration of the laryngeal mucosa may lead to breathing difficulties.
Recurrent episodes of parotitis caused by stenosis of the parotid duct and submandibular gland inflammation are reported. Infiltration of the tongue may destroy the dorsal papillae, causing the tongue to have a smooth surface.
Dental health is often poor [Chan et al 2007, Ravi Prakash et al 2013].
Skin lesions consist of vesicles and hemorrhagic crusts in the mouth and on the face and extremities induced by minor trauma, verrucous and keratotic cutaneous lesions on extensor surfaces (especially the elbows), and moniliform blepharosis (multiple beaded papules along the eyelid margins and inner canthus). Skin lesions usually progress during the first few years of life in two overlapping stages:
During childhood the skin may be easily damaged by minor trauma or friction, resulting in blisters and scar formation. Pock-like or acneiform scars, vesicles, and hemorrhagic crust are particularly evident on the face and extremities ().
At later stages with increasing hyaline-like deposition within the dermis, skin becomes diffusely thickened and appears waxy with yellowish discoloration; papules, nodules, and plaques appear on the face and the lips ().
Hyperkeratotic and verrucous lesions may appear in regions exposed to mechanical trauma, such as the hands, elbows, knees, buttocks, and axillae (, , ) [Hamada 2002].
Patchy and diffuse alopecia of the scalp, beard, eyelashes, and eyebrows may be present; however, alopecia is not a significant finding in most. Nail dystrophy has been reported [Hamada 2002].
Extracutaneous manifestations may include the following:
Epilepsy. Seizure onset may be in childhood or adulthood. Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common type, with both partial and (less frequently) secondarily generalized seizures observed. Seizures may be resistant to therapy [
Claeys et al 2007].
Neuropsychiatric disorders can include impairment of day-to-day memory (but not distant memory), paranoia, aggressive behavior and rage, hallucinations, absence of fear, and lack of normal sense of distrust or danger. Neuropsychiatric disorders can appear in childhood and are progressive. Individuals with lipoid proteinosis perform poorly on facial recognition of positive and negative emotions. These neuropsychiatric manifestations sometimes occur in association with calcification in the temporal lobes in the region of the amygdalae () [
Siebert et al 2003,
Thornton et al 2008].
Gastrointestinal manifestations. Multiple yellowish nodules can be found throughout the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, and colon, and are usually asymptomatic [
Custódio Lima et al 2014]; however, small intestinal bleeding has been observed in one individual [
Caccamo et al 1994].
Clinical variability. A wide range of clinical manifestations and disease progression, including presence of neurologic abnormalities in the absence of skin manifestations, occurs in individuals with the same ECM1 pathogenic variants even within the same family or population isolate [Youssefian et al 2015].
Course and prognosis. Generally, LP follows a chronic and fluctuating course. Males and females are affected equally. Affected individuals have a normal life span unless they experience laryngeal obstruction.