Hypoglycemia, Hepatic Dysfunction, Muscle Weakness, Cardiomyopathy
Pediatr. Res. 17: 319-326 (1983) Hypoglycemia, Hepatic Dysfunction, Muscle Weakness, Cardiomyopathy, Free Carnitine Deficiency and Long-Chain Acylcarnitine Excess Responsive to Medium Chain Triglyceride Diet ALLEN M. GLASGOW,'~~'ANDREW G. ENGEL, DENNIS M. BIER, LOWELL W. PERRY, MARY DICKIE, JANE TODARO, BARBARA I. BROWN, AND MERTON F. UTTER Departments of Endocrinology and Metabolism [A.M.G.], Gastroenterology [J. TI, Cardiology [L. W.P.] and Dietary [M.B.], Children's Hospital National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Department of Neurology, and the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory [A. G.E.], Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota USA; Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics [D. M. B.] and Biochemistry [B. I. B.], Washington University, School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; and Department of Biochemistry [MI U.],Case Western Reserve, Cleveland, Ohio, USA Summary Hepatic long-chain acyl CoA carnitine transferase deficiency (4), multiple acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (glutaric aciduria Fraternal twins who had fasting hypoglycemia, hypoketonemia, type 11) (18), and systemic carnitine deficiency (3,9, 12, 17, 24, 37, muscle weakness, and hepatic dysfunction are reported. The he- 43), all of which are associated with impaired fatty acid oxidation, patic dysfunction occurred only during periods of caloric depriva- have hypoglycemia as a major clinical manifestation. tion. The surviving patient developed a cardiomyopathy. In this The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to report fraternal sibling, muscle weakness and cardiomyopathy were markedly im- proved by a diet high in medium chain triglycerides. There was a twins with free carnitine deficiency and long-chain acylcarnitine marked deficiency of muscle total carnitine and a mild deficiency excess in whom hypoglycemia, hepatic dysfunction, muscle weak- of hepatic total carnitine.
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