Newborn screening for Fabry disease in Taiwan reveals a high incidence of the later-onset GLA mutation c.936+919G>A (IVS4+919G>A).
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Hwu WL, Chien YH, Lee NC, Chiang SC, Dobrovolny R, Huang AC, Yeh HY, Chao MC, Lin SJ, Kitagawa T, Desnick RJ, Hsu LW
Newborn screening for Fabry disease in Taiwan reveals a high incidence of the later-onset GLA mutation c.936+919G>A (IVS4+919G>A).
Hum Mutat. 2009 Oct;30(10):1397-405. doi: 10.1002/humu.21074.
- PubMed ID
- 19621417 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
Fabry disease (alpha-galactosidase A (alpha-Gal A, GLA) deficiency) is a panethnic inborn error of glycosphingolipid metabolism. Because optimal therapeutic outcomes depend on early intervention, a pilot program was designed to assess newborn screening for this disease in 171,977 consecutive Taiwanese newborns by measuring their dry blood spot (DBS) alpha-Gal A activities and beta-galactosidase/alpha-Gal A ratios. Of the 90,288 male screenees, 638 (0.7%) had DBS alpha-Gal A activity <30% of normal mean and/or activity ratios >10. A second DBS assay reduced these to 91 (0.1%). Of these, 11 (including twins) had <5% (Group-A), 64 had 5-30% (Group-B), and 11 had >30% (Group-C) of mean normal leukocyte alpha-Gal A activity. All 11 Group-A, 61 Group-B, and 1 Group-C males had GLA gene mutations. Surprisingly, 86% had the later-onset cryptic splice mutation c.936+919G>A (also called IVS4+919G>A). In contrast, screening 81,689 females detected two heterozygotes. The novel mutations were expressed in vitro, predicting their classical or later-onset phenotypes. Newborn screening identified a surprisingly high frequency of Taiwanese males with Fabry disease (approximately 1 in 1,250), 86% having the IVS4+919G>A mutation previously found in later-onset cardiac phenotype patients. Further studies of the IVS4 later-onset phenotype will determine its natural history and optimal timing for therapeutic intervention.