Megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B-12 deficiency due to impaired absorption. The impaired absorption of vitamin B-12 is secondary to atrophic gastritis and loss of gastric parietal cells.

HPRT1 disorders, caused by deficiency of the enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGprt), are typically associated with clinical evidence for overproduction of uric acid (hyperuricemia, nephrolithiasis, and/or gouty arthritis) and varying degrees of neurologic and/or behavioral problems. Historically, three phenotypes were identified in the spectrum of HPRT1 disorders: Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND) at the most severe end with motor dysfunction resembling severe cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and self-injurious behavior; HPRT1-related neurologic dysfunction (HND) in the intermediate range with similar but fewer severe neurologic findings than LND and no self-injurious behavior; and HPRT1-related hyperuricemia (HRH) at the mild end without overt neurologic deficits. It is now recognized that these neurobehavioral phenotypes cluster along a continuum from severe to mild.

Glutamate formiminotransferase deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder and the second most common inborn error of folate metabolism. Features of a severe phenotype include elevated levels of formiminoglutamate (FIGLU) in the urine in response to histidine administration, megaloblastic anemia, and mental retardation. Features of a mild phenotype include high urinary excretion of FIGLU in the absence of histidine administration, mild developmental delay, and no hematologic abnormalities (summary by Hilton et al., 2003).

Congenital pernicious anemia (PA), or intrinsic factor deficiency, is a rare disorder characterized by the lack of gastric intrinsic factor in the presence of normal acid secretion and mucosal cytology and the absence of GIF antibodies that are found in the acquired form of pernicious anemia (170900). See also pernicious anemia due to defect in the receptor for vitamin B12/intrinsic factor (261100).

Disorders of intracellular cobalamin metabolism have a variable phenotype and age of onset that are influenced by the severity and location within the pathway of the defect. The prototype and best understood phenotype is cblC; it is also the most common of these disorders. The age of initial presentation of cblC spans a wide range: In utero with fetal presentation of nonimmune hydrops, cardiomyopathy, and intrauterine growth restriction. Newborns, who can have microcephaly, poor feeding, and encephalopathy. Infants, who can have poor feeding and slow growth, neurologic abnormality, and, rarely, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Toddlers, who can have poor growth, progressive microcephaly, cytopenias (including megaloblastic anemia), global developmental delay, encephalopathy, and neurologic signs such as hypotonia and seizures. Adolescents and adults, who can have neuropsychiatric symptoms, progressive cognitive decline, thromboembolic complications, and/or subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord.

Disorders of intracellular cobalamin metabolism have a variable phenotype and age of onset that are influenced by the severity and location within the pathway of the defect. The prototype and best understood phenotype is cblC; it is also the most common of these disorders. The age of initial presentation of cblC spans a wide range: In utero with fetal presentation of nonimmune hydrops, cardiomyopathy, and intrauterine growth restriction. Newborns, who can have microcephaly, poor feeding, and encephalopathy. Infants, who can have poor feeding and slow growth, neurologic abnormality, and, rarely, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Toddlers, who can have poor growth, progressive microcephaly, cytopenias (including megaloblastic anemia), global developmental delay, encephalopathy, and neurologic signs such as hypotonia and seizures. Adolescents and adults, who can have neuropsychiatric symptoms, progressive cognitive decline, thromboembolic complications, and/or subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord.

Disorders of intracellular cobalamin metabolism have a variable phenotype and age of onset that are influenced by the severity and location within the pathway of the defect. The prototype and best understood phenotype is cblC; it is also the most common of these disorders. The age of initial presentation of cblC spans a wide range: In utero with fetal presentation of nonimmune hydrops, cardiomyopathy, and intrauterine growth restriction. Newborns, who can have microcephaly, poor feeding, and encephalopathy. Infants, who can have poor feeding and slow growth, neurologic abnormality, and, rarely, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Toddlers, who can have poor growth, progressive microcephaly, cytopenias (including megaloblastic anemia), global developmental delay, encephalopathy, and neurologic signs such as hypotonia and seizures. Adolescents and adults, who can have neuropsychiatric symptoms, progressive cognitive decline, thromboembolic complications, and/or subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord.

Disorders of intracellular cobalamin metabolism have a variable phenotype and age of onset that are influenced by the severity and location within the pathway of the defect. The prototype and best understood phenotype is cblC; it is also the most common of these disorders. The age of initial presentation of cblC spans a wide range: In utero with fetal presentation of nonimmune hydrops, cardiomyopathy, and intrauterine growth restriction. Newborns, who can have microcephaly, poor feeding, and encephalopathy. Infants, who can have poor feeding and slow growth, neurologic abnormality, and, rarely, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Toddlers, who can have poor growth, progressive microcephaly, cytopenias (including megaloblastic anemia), global developmental delay, encephalopathy, and neurologic signs such as hypotonia and seizures. Adolescents and adults, who can have neuropsychiatric symptoms, progressive cognitive decline, thromboembolic complications, and/or subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord.

Disorders of intracellular cobalamin metabolism have a variable phenotype and age of onset that are influenced by the severity and location within the pathway of the defect. The prototype and best understood phenotype is cblC; it is also the most common of these disorders. The age of initial presentation of cblC spans a wide range: In utero with fetal presentation of nonimmune hydrops, cardiomyopathy, and intrauterine growth restriction. Newborns, who can have microcephaly, poor feeding, and encephalopathy. Infants, who can have poor feeding and slow growth, neurologic abnormality, and, rarely, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Toddlers, who can have poor growth, progressive microcephaly, cytopenias (including megaloblastic anemia), global developmental delay, encephalopathy, and neurologic signs such as hypotonia and seizures. Adolescents and adults, who can have neuropsychiatric symptoms, progressive cognitive decline, thromboembolic complications, and/or subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord.

Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase deficiency (PHGDHD) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of L-serine biosynthesis that is characterized by congenital microcephaly, psychomotor retardation, and seizures (summary by Jaeken et al., 1996).

Dihydrofolate reductase deficiency is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder characterized by the hematologic findings of megaloblastic anemia and variable neurologic symptoms, ranging from severe developmental delay and generalized seizures in infancy (Banka et al., 2011) to childhood absence epilepsy with learning difficulties to lack of symptoms (Cario et al., 2011). Treatment with folinic acid can ameliorate some of the symptoms.

Imerslund-Grasbeck syndrome-1 (IGS1) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by onset of megaloblastic anemia associated with decreased serum vitamin B12 (cobalamin, Cbl) in infancy or early childhood. Low molecular weight (LMW) proteinuria is frequently present, but sometimes occurs later and is usually mild or subclinical. Patients often present with vague symptoms, including failure to thrive, loss of appetite, fatigue, lethargy, and/or recurrent infections. Some patients may present later in childhood with neurologic abnormalities related to B12 deficiency, such as sensorimotor neuropathy and/or cognitive disturbances. Treatment with vitamin B12 results in sustained clinical improvement of the anemia and resolution of the neurologic symptoms, if present. The proteinuria is nonprogressive, and affected individuals do not have deterioration of kidney function; correct diagnosis is important to prevent unnecessary treatment. The disorder results from a combination of vitamin B12 deficiency due to selective malabsorption of the vitamin, and impaired reabsorption of LMW proteins in the proximal renal tubule. These defects are caused by disruption of the AMN (605799)/CUBN complex that forms the 'cubam' receptor responsible for intestinal uptake of B12/GIF (CBLIF; 609342). In the kidney, AMN/CUBN interacts with the endocytic receptor megalin (LRP2; 600073), which is important for the reabsorption of plasma proteins (summary by Grasbeck, 2006, Storm et al., 2011, Storm et al., 2013). Genetic Heterogeneity of Imerslund-Grasbeck Syndrome See also IGS2 (618882), caused by mutation in the AMN gene (605799) on chromosome 14q32. Congenital pernicious anemia (261000), a distinct disorder with overlapping features, is caused by mutation in the GIF (CBLIF) gene (609342). Adult pernicious anemia (170900) is another distinct autoimmune disorder associated with plasma autoantibodies to gastric parietal cells or gastric intrinsic factor.

Imerslund-Grasbeck syndrome-2 (IGS2) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by onset of megaloblastic anemia associated with decreased serum vitamin B12 (cobalamin, Cbl) in infancy or early childhood. Low molecular weight (LMW) proteinuria is frequently present, but usually occurs later and is usually mild or subclinical. Patients often present with vague symptoms, including failure to thrive, loss of appetite, fatigue, lethargy, and/or recurrent infections. Treatment with vitamin B12 results in sustained clinical improvement of the anemia. The proteinuria is nonprogressive, and affected individuals do not have deterioration of kidney function; correct diagnosis is important to prevent unnecessary treatment. The disorder results from a combination of vitamin B12 deficiency due to selective malabsorption of the vitamin, and impaired reabsorption of LMW proteins in the proximal renal tubule. These defects are caused by disruption of the AMN/CUBN (602997) complex that forms the 'cubam' receptor responsible for intestinal uptake of B12/GIF (CBLIF; 609342). In the kidney, AMN/CUBN interacts with the endocytic receptor megalin (LRP2; 600073), which is important for the reabsorption of plasma proteins (summary by Grasbeck, 2006, De Filippo et al., 2013, and Storm et al., 2013). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of Imerslund-Grasbeck syndrome, see 261100.

Combined immunodeficiency and megaloblastic anemia with or without hyperhomocysteinemia is an inborn error of folate metabolism due to deficiency of methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase-1. Manifestations may include hemolytic uremic syndrome, macrocytosis, epilepsy, hearing loss, retinopathy, mild mental retardation, lymphopenia involving all subsets, and low T-cell receptor excision circles. Folinic acid supplementation is an effective treatment (summary by Ramakrishnan et al., 2016).

WFS1 Wolfram syndrome spectrum disorder (WFS1-WSSD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by onset of diabetes mellitus (DM) and optic atrophy (OA) before age 16 years, and typically associated with other endocrine abnormalities, sensorineural hearing loss, and progressive neurologic abnormalities (cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, dementia, psychiatric illness, and urinary tract atony). Although DM is mostly insulin-dependent, overall the course is milder (with lower prevalence of microvascular disease) than that seen in isolated DM. OA typically results in significantly reduced visual acuity in the first decade. Sensorineural hearing impairment ranges from congenital deafness to milder, sometimes progressive, hearing impairment.