Dataset Information

Molecular and neurological features of MELAS syndrome in paediatric patients: A case series and review of the literature.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is one of the most well-known mitochondrial diseases, with most cases attributed to m.3243A>G. MELAS syndrome patients typically present in the first two decades of life with a broad, multi-systemic phenotype that predominantly features neurological manifestations--stroke-like episodes. However, marked phenotypic variability has been observed among paediatric patients, creating a clinical challenge and delaying diagnoses.

Methods

A literature review of paediatric MELAS syndrome patients and a retrospective analysis in a UK tertiary paediatric neurology centre were performed.

Results

Three children were included in this case series. All patients presented with seizures and had MRI changes not confined to a single vascular territory. Blood heteroplasmy varied considerably, and one patient required a muscle biopsy. Based on a literature review of 114 patients, the mean age of presentation is 8.1 years and seizures are the most prevalent manifestation of stroke-like episodes. Heteroplasmy is higher in a tissue other than blood in most cases.

Conclusion

The threshold for investigating MELAS syndrome in children with suspicious neurological symptoms should be low. If blood m.3243A>G analysis is negative, yet clinical suspicion remains high, invasive testing or further interrogation of the mitochondrial genome should be considered.

SUBMITTER: Seed LM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9266612 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Molecular and neurological features of MELAS syndrome in paediatric patients: A case series and review of the literature.

Seed Lydia M LM Dean Andrew A Krishnakumar Deepa D Phyu Poe P Horvath Rita R Harijan Pooja Devi PD

Molecular genetics & genomic medicine 20220426 7

<h4>Background</h4>Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is one of the most well-known mitochondrial diseases, with most cases attributed to m.3243A>G. MELAS syndrome patients typically present in the first two decades of life with a broad, multi-systemic phenotype that predominantly features neurological manifestations--stroke-like episodes. However, marked phenotypic variability has been observed among paediatric patients, creating a clinica ...[more]

PMID: 35474314

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Dataset Information

Molecular and neurological features of MELAS syndrome in paediatric patients: A case series and review of the literature.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Molecular and neurological features of MELAS syndrome in paediatric patients: A case series and review of the literature.

Similar Datasets

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