Health and Fitness

Optic Atrophy Overview What is optic atrophy? Optic atrophy is a condition that affects the cells of your optic nerve, which carries impulses from your eye to your brain. “Atrophy” means to waste away or deteriorate. Optic nerve atrophy is another name for optic atrophy, and it’s a serious condition. Atrophy of the optic nerve is a condition that happens because of long-term damage to optic nerve fibers from many different causes. Optic atrophy can cause irreversible issues with vision, including blindness. Symptoms Optic atrophy symptoms relate to changes in vision, including: Blurred vision or a reduction in sharpness of vision. Difficulties with peripheral vision. Difficulties with color vision. Causes Nerve fibers that transmit impulses to your brain make up your optic nerve. In the case of optic atrophy, something is interfering with your optic nerve’s ability to transmit these impulses. Many factors can cause this interference, including: Lack of proper blood flow (vascular/ische...

  Adenylosuccinate Lyase Deficiency Overview Adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency (ADSL deficiency) is a rare inherited metabolic disorder characterized by developmental delay, seizures, learning/intellectual disability and autism related behaviors. Based on the age of onset and the severity of the symptoms it can be classified in three forms: Fatal neonatal form, a very severe form that is present before or at birth Childhood form or severe form (type I) which begins in infancy or early childhood Slowly progressive form or mild form (type II), a milder form that worsens more gradually over time Signs and symptoms across these forms vary greatly from person to person and may include slowing of thought and physical movement (psychomotor impairment), autism related traits such as repetitive behaviors and failure to make eye contact, seizures, progressive loss of muscle tissue (muscle wasting), difficulty eating and drinking due to the psychomotor problems (secondary feeding problems) an...

Autosomal dominant epilepsy with auditory features (ADEAF) Overview Autosomal dominant epilepsy with auditory features (ADEAF) is a genetic focal epilepsy. It is characterized by seizures that typically start in adolescence or early adulthood, producing sudden auditory hallucinations (e.g., buzzing, ringing, or music) or a temporary inability to understand language (receptive aphasia). Symptoms A detailed look at the symptoms : 1. Auditory Hallucinations & Sensations Before or during a seizure, individuals often experience distinct auditory phenomena, which include: Simple Sounds: Humming, buzzing, or ringing sounds. Complex Sounds: Hearing specific voices, songs, or synthesizer-like noises. Distortions : Sudden changes in the volume or intensity of ambient sounds. Negative Symptoms: A sudden decrease or complete disappearance of surrounding background noise. 2. Receptive Aphasia (Language Difficulties) A hallmark symptom of ADEAF is a sudden, temporary inability to understand sp...

Adenine phosphoribosyl transferase (APRT) Overview Adenine phosphoribosyl transferase (APRT) deficiency is a rare, inherited metabolic disorder where the body cannot properly process adenine. This leads to the build-up of insoluble 2,8-dihydroxyadenine (2,8-DHA) crystals, which form kidney stones and can cause severe, progressive kidney damage. Symptoms Symptoms vary widely, and roughly half of all affected individuals remain completely asymptomatic until adulthood. When symptoms do occur, they typically involve the genitourinary system: Reddish-Brown Diaper Stains: Often the very first sign in infants, caused by the excretion of DHA crystals. Nephrolithiasis (Kidney Stones ): Recurrent stones that cause flank pain, abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting. Urinary Issues : Blood in the urine (hematuria), pain or difficulty during urination, and frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs). Kidney Damage: Crystalline nephropathy can cause sudden acute kidney injury (AKI) or progressive chr...

Pol III-related leukodystrophy Overview Pol III-related leukodystrophy is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the POLR3A or POLR3B genes. Also known as 4H syndrome (Hypomyelination, Hypodontia, Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism), it affects the central nervous system by impairing myelin production. Treatment focuses on managing progressive neurological, dental, and endocrine symptoms. Symptoms 1. Neurological Dysfunction Motor Control:   Difficulty coordinating movements (ataxia) leading to an unstable, wide-based gait. Over time, patients often develop involuntary rhythmic shaking (tremors) and muscle stiffness (spasticity). Speech & Swallowing: Impaired speech (dysarthria) and difficulty chewing or swallowing (dysphagia), which carries a risk of choking. Cognitive Profile: Mild to moderate intellectual disability, which may progress or involve developmental regression. 2. Abnormal Dentition (Tooth Development) Missing or Delayed Teeth: Delayed eruption of primary (b...

ADCY5-Related Dyskinesia Overview ADCY5-related dyskinesia is a rare neurological disorder characterized by various movement abnormalities. People with this condition have dyskinesia, a movement disorder characterized by trouble controlling voluntary movements, which are movements that a person does intentionally, such as lifting their arms, walking, or turning their heads. Instead, they experience uncontrolled, involuntary movements like sudden jerks, writhing motions, twitches, twisting, or tremors. These movements typically affect the arms, legs, neck and face. Symptoms can begin in babies, young children or teenagers and continue throughout life, though there can be periods without symptoms (remission). The severity varies greatly from one person to another, but intelligence and life span are generally unaffected. This condition is caused by a change (variant) in the ADCY5 gene. The disease-causing variant may be inherited from a parent, or it may occur spontaneously as a new varia...