Histidinemia is a metabolic disorder characterized by increased levels of histidine in blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid, and decreased levels of the metabolite urocanic acid in blood, urine, and skin cells. Although histidinemia was originally associated with mental retardation and speech defects, it is generally considered to be a benign disorder (Levy et al., 2001). However, it is possible that histidinemia may be a risk factor for developmental disorders in certain individuals under specific circumstances, such as perinatal events (Ishikawa, 1987).

Saccharopinuria, also known as hyperlysinemia type II, is an autosomal recessive metabolic condition with few, if any, clinical manifestations. Hyperlysinemia type II and hyperlysinemia type I (238700) both result from deficiency of the bifunctional enzyme AASS (605113) on chromosome 7q31. The AASS gene encodes lysine alpha-ketoglutarate reductase and saccharopine dehydrogenase, which catalyze, respectively, the sequential conversion of lysine to saccharopine and saccharopine to alpha-aminoadipic semialdehyde and glutamate (summary by Tondo et al., 2013). In hyperlysinemia type I, both enzymatic functions of AASS are defective and patients have increased serum lysine and possibly increased saccharopine; in hyperlysinemia type II, most of the first enzymatic function is retained, and patients tend to have isolated saccharopine increase (Cox, 1985; Cox et al., 1986).

A rare disorder of histidine metabolism characterized by histidinuria without histidinemia due to impaired intestinal and renal tubular absorption of histidine. Developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures, and mild dysmorphic features have been reported in association. There have been no further descriptions in the literature since 1992.