Does Early Diagnosis and Treatment Alter the Clinical Course of Wolman Disease? Divergent Trajectories in Two Siblings and a Consideration for Newborn Screening

Wolman disease (WD) is a lethal disorder defined by the deficiency of the lysosomal acid lipase enzyme. Patients present with intestinal failure, malnutrition, and hepatosplenomegaly. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with dietary substrate reduction (DSR) significantly improves survival. We sought t...

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Main Authors: Maria Jose de Castro Lopez, Fiona J. White, Victoria Holmes, Jane Roberts, Teresa H. Y. Wu, James A. Cooper, Heather J. Church, Gemma Petts, Robert F. Wynn, Simon A. Jones, Arunabha Ghosh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:International Journal of Neonatal Screening
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2409-515X/11/1/17
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author Maria Jose de Castro Lopez
Fiona J. White
Victoria Holmes
Jane Roberts
Teresa H. Y. Wu
James A. Cooper
Heather J. Church
Gemma Petts
Robert F. Wynn
Simon A. Jones
Arunabha Ghosh
author_facet Maria Jose de Castro Lopez
Fiona J. White
Victoria Holmes
Jane Roberts
Teresa H. Y. Wu
James A. Cooper
Heather J. Church
Gemma Petts
Robert F. Wynn
Simon A. Jones
Arunabha Ghosh
author_sort Maria Jose de Castro Lopez
collection DOAJ
description Wolman disease (WD) is a lethal disorder defined by the deficiency of the lysosomal acid lipase enzyme. Patients present with intestinal failure, malnutrition, and hepatosplenomegaly. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with dietary substrate reduction (DSR) significantly improves survival. We sought to determine the outcomes of two siblings with WD treated after the onset of symptoms (sibling 1) and presymptomatic (sibling 2). A chart review was conducted on two siblings with WD treated with ERT and DSR at 4 months of age (sibling 1) and immediately after birth (sibling 2) to determine clinical outcomes based on survival, laboratory results, growth, dietary records, and gut biopsies. Sibling 1 presented with hepatosplenomegaly and liver dysfunction and developed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis despite treatment. She received a bone marrow transplant at 8 months of age but died at 13 months. Sibling 2 is alive at 16 months of age with height, weight, and MUAC above the 95th centile, fully orally fed, with no gastrointestinal symptoms, normal liver function, and normal oxysterols. Sibling 2 duodenal biopsies show normal villus architecture with no foamy macrophage infiltration. Initiation of treatment prior to the onset of symptoms can prevent clinical manifestations and increase survival. The divergent trajectory in these siblings raises the question of WD’s candidacy for newborn screening.
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spelling doaj-art-6efff26b2434491bab5dfb59cd1338ab2025-08-20T01:48:46ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Neonatal Screening2409-515X2025-02-011111710.3390/ijns11010017Does Early Diagnosis and Treatment Alter the Clinical Course of Wolman Disease? Divergent Trajectories in Two Siblings and a Consideration for Newborn ScreeningMaria Jose de Castro Lopez0Fiona J. White1Victoria Holmes2Jane Roberts3Teresa H. Y. Wu4James A. Cooper5Heather J. Church6Gemma Petts7Robert F. Wynn8Simon A. Jones9Arunabha Ghosh10Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKDepartment of Paediatric Histopathology, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKDepartment of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKManchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UKWolman disease (WD) is a lethal disorder defined by the deficiency of the lysosomal acid lipase enzyme. Patients present with intestinal failure, malnutrition, and hepatosplenomegaly. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with dietary substrate reduction (DSR) significantly improves survival. We sought to determine the outcomes of two siblings with WD treated after the onset of symptoms (sibling 1) and presymptomatic (sibling 2). A chart review was conducted on two siblings with WD treated with ERT and DSR at 4 months of age (sibling 1) and immediately after birth (sibling 2) to determine clinical outcomes based on survival, laboratory results, growth, dietary records, and gut biopsies. Sibling 1 presented with hepatosplenomegaly and liver dysfunction and developed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis despite treatment. She received a bone marrow transplant at 8 months of age but died at 13 months. Sibling 2 is alive at 16 months of age with height, weight, and MUAC above the 95th centile, fully orally fed, with no gastrointestinal symptoms, normal liver function, and normal oxysterols. Sibling 2 duodenal biopsies show normal villus architecture with no foamy macrophage infiltration. Initiation of treatment prior to the onset of symptoms can prevent clinical manifestations and increase survival. The divergent trajectory in these siblings raises the question of WD’s candidacy for newborn screening.https://www.mdpi.com/2409-515X/11/1/17Wolman diseaseenzyme replacement therapydietary substrate reductionearly diagnosisearly treatmentnewborn screening
spellingShingle Maria Jose de Castro Lopez
Fiona J. White
Victoria Holmes
Jane Roberts
Teresa H. Y. Wu
James A. Cooper
Heather J. Church
Gemma Petts
Robert F. Wynn
Simon A. Jones
Arunabha Ghosh
Does Early Diagnosis and Treatment Alter the Clinical Course of Wolman Disease? Divergent Trajectories in Two Siblings and a Consideration for Newborn Screening
International Journal of Neonatal Screening
Wolman disease
enzyme replacement therapy
dietary substrate reduction
early diagnosis
early treatment
newborn screening
title Does Early Diagnosis and Treatment Alter the Clinical Course of Wolman Disease? Divergent Trajectories in Two Siblings and a Consideration for Newborn Screening
title_full Does Early Diagnosis and Treatment Alter the Clinical Course of Wolman Disease? Divergent Trajectories in Two Siblings and a Consideration for Newborn Screening
title_fullStr Does Early Diagnosis and Treatment Alter the Clinical Course of Wolman Disease? Divergent Trajectories in Two Siblings and a Consideration for Newborn Screening
title_full_unstemmed Does Early Diagnosis and Treatment Alter the Clinical Course of Wolman Disease? Divergent Trajectories in Two Siblings and a Consideration for Newborn Screening
title_short Does Early Diagnosis and Treatment Alter the Clinical Course of Wolman Disease? Divergent Trajectories in Two Siblings and a Consideration for Newborn Screening
title_sort does early diagnosis and treatment alter the clinical course of wolman disease divergent trajectories in two siblings and a consideration for newborn screening
topic Wolman disease
enzyme replacement therapy
dietary substrate reduction
early diagnosis
early treatment
newborn screening
url https://www.mdpi.com/2409-515X/11/1/17
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