Clinical Description
Mitochondrial short-chain enoyl-CoA hydratase 1 deficiency (ECHS1D) has been reported in 40 individuals representing 31 families [Peters et al 2014, Ferdinandusse et al 2015, Haack et al 2015, Sakai et al 2015, Yamada et al 2015, Ganetzky et al 2016, Nair et al 2016, Olgiati et al 2016, Al Mutairi et al 2017, Balasubramaniam et al 2017, Bedoyan et al 2017, Mahajan et al 2017, Fitzsimons et al 2018]. ECHS1D represents a clinical spectrum in which several phenotypes have been described. The most common phenotype is presentation in the neonatal period with severe encephalopathy and lactic acidosis and later-onset Leigh-like signs and symptoms. A small number of affected individuals have normal development, exercise-induced dystonia, and basal ganglia abnormalities on MRI [Olgiati et al 2016, Mahajan et al 2017].
Age of onset is soon after birth in a majority of reported individuals (median age of onset: 1 day; range 1 day – 8 years, n=40); only five reported individuals have presented after the first year of life. In five affected individuals, prenatal signs (intrauterine growth restriction and/or oligohydramnios) were identified; two of those individuals were born prematurely [Ganetzky et al 2016, Nair et al 2016, Fitzsimons et al 2018].
Common clinical manifestations are summarized in Table 2 and discussed below.
Table 2.
Common Clinical Manifestations of ECHS1 Deficiency
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Clinical Manifestation | Frequency |
---|
Neurologic 1
| Signal abnormalities in the basal ganglia | 28/32 (88%) |
Developmental delay | 27/32 (84%) |
Hypotonia | 21/30 (70%) |
Dystonia | 15/29 (52%) |
Seizures | 12/23 (52%) |
Encephalopathy | 12/31 (39%) |
Ataxia/choreoathetosis | 5/25 (20%) |
Growth
| Failure to thrive | 20/32 (62%) |
Microcephaly | 7/30 (23%) |
Intrauterine growth restriction | 5/27 (18%) |
Cardiovascular
| Cardiomyopathy | 9/15 (60%) |
Pulmonary hypertension | 3/14 (21%) |
Ophthalmologic
| Nystagmus | 10/31 (32%) |
Optic atrophy | 8/27 (30%) |
Corneal clouding | 1/27 (4%) |
Other
| Sensorineural hearing loss | 13/27 (48%) |
Apnea | 7/37 (19%) |
Liver steatosis &/or hepatomegaly | 5/6 (83%) |
Biochemical/
Enzymatic
| Lactic acidemia | 27/36 (75%) |
Low PDC activity (in cultured fibroblasts) | 5/12 (42%) |
Neurologic. Most affected individuals reported have presented with severe hypotonia, encephalopathy, or neonatal seizures within the first few days of life. In this scenario, signs and symptoms typically progress quickly and the affected individual ultimately succumbs to central apnea or arrhythmia [Haack et al 2015, Ganetzky et al 2016, Nair et al 2016, Bedoyan et al 2017]. Affected individuals who survive the neonatal period typically have continued truncal hypotonia but develop limb spasticity. They tend to have severe static developmental delay.
A second group of affected individuals present in infancy (after the neonatal period up to age 24 months) with developmental regression [Tetreault et al 2015, Yamada et al 2015, Fitzsimons et al 2018], typically leading to severe developmental delay.
There have been two reports of individuals with isolated paroxysmal dystonia and otherwise normal development. In one report, two of three affected individuals were sibs, one of whom had learning disabilities [Olgiati et al 2016]. The other (unrelated) reported individual had attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder [Mahajan et al 2017].
Dystonia, or less commonly choreoathetosis and/or ataxia, is usually chronically present, but is exacerbated by illness or exertion [Tetreault et al 2015, Olgiati et al 2016].
Across all three phenotypes, T2 hyperintensity in the basal ganglia is very common (88%) and may affect any part of the basal ganglia. This is seen even in those whose clinical presentation is limited to paroxysmal exercise-induced dystonia [Olgiati et al 2016, Mahajan et al 2017].
Growth. Most children with ECHS1 deficiency require enteral feeding tubes because of severe developmental delay and hypotonia. Dysphagia has been reported in three individuals, one of whom suffered aspiration events [Ferdinandusse et al 2015, Yamada et al 2015].
Cardiac. Cardiomyopathy may be dilated or hypertrophic. In two affected individuals, cardiac hypertrophy was transient [Ferdinandusse et al 2015, Fitzsimons et al 2018]. Three individuals with pulmonary hypertension have been reported [Ferdinandusse et al 2015, Nair et al 2016]. Two other individuals have had terminal bradycardiac arrhythmias in the setting of lactic acidosis. It is unclear whether this was as a result of a predisposition to arrhythmia or secondary to overwhelming metabolic acidosis [Ganetzky et al 2016, Al Mutairi et al 2017].
Sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing loss may be found incidentally by audiologic screening. Hearing loss may be mild and is often stable. Two affected individuals required hearing aids for severe hearing loss [Tetreault et al 2015, Aretini et al 2018].
Liver dysfunction. Hepatomegaly or hepatosplenomegaly has been seen in multiple infantile cases. Liver steatosis is often present in those who have had postmortem examinations. However, no individuals with clinically significant liver dysfunction have been reported [Ferdinandusse et al 2015, Ganetzky et al 2016, Bedoyan et al 2017, Fitzsimons et al 2018].
Biochemical and enzymatic features
Two affected individuals have had moderate hyperammonemia in the setting of profound neonatal metabolic stress, potentially related to their severe metabolic acidosis and/or low ATP secondary to impaired aerobic oxidation. Levels have been reported ranging from 150 to 800 µmol/L in cases with a concommittent pH < 7.1 [
Ferdinandusse et al 2015,
Nair et al 2016].
Other manifestations. Variable dysmorphic facial features and structural anomalies have each been reported in a few affected individuals.
Prognosis. The prognosis of neonatal-onset ECHS1 deficiency is poor. Of the 18 reported neonatal cases, 16 (89%) are deceased, mostly within days to weeks of birth from overwhelming lactic acidosis, apnea, hypotension, or bradycardia. Of the 13 later-onset cases, five are deceased (38%), all in early childhood.
In contrast, those with the paroxysmal dystonia phenotype have been mildly affected with no reported deaths and relatively normal cognitive development. There is likely a broad spectrum between the infantile phenotype and the paroxysmal dystonia phenotype, as individuals with paroxysmal dystonia have been diagnosed after metabolic decompensation [Olgiati et al 2016] or stroke-like episodes [Authors, unpublished observation], but this is not yet clear.