Neuroferritinopathy

Title

Other Names:

Ferritin-related neurodegeneration; Basal ganglia disease adult-onset

Categories:

Congenital and Genetic Diseases; Metabolic disorders; Nervous System Diseases

This disease is grouped under:

Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation

Summary Summary

Neuroferritinopathy is a movement disorder caused by the gradual accumulation of iron in the basal ganglia of the brain. People with neuroferritinopathy have progressive problems with movement that begin at about age 40. These movement problems can include involuntary jerking motions (chorea), rhythmic shaking (tremor), difficulty coordinating movements (ataxia), or uncontrolled tensing of muscles (dystonia). Symptoms of the disorder may be more prominent on one side of the body. Affected individuals may also have difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) and speaking (dysarthria). Intelligence is generally unaffected, but some individuals develop a gradual decline in thinking and reasoning abilities (dementia). Personality changes such as reduced inhibitions and difficulty controlling emotions may also occur as the disorder progresses. Neuroferritinopathy is caused by mutations in the FTL gene. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion.^[1]

Last updated: 9/24/2013

Symptoms Symptoms

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms	Other Names	Learn More: HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Chorea		0002072
Spastic diplegia		0001264
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Bradykinesia	Slow movements Slowness of movements [ more ]	0002067
Dysphonia	Inability to produce voice sounds	0001618
Dystonia		0001332
Gait disturbance	Abnormal gait Abnormal walk Impaired gait [ more ]	0001288
Optic atrophy		0000648
Orofacial dyskinesia		0002310
Retinal degeneration	Retina degeneration	0000546
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Abnormality of eye movement	Abnormal eye movement Abnormal eye movements Eye movement abnormalities Eye movement issue [ more ]	0000496
Ataxia		0001251
Behavioral abnormality	Behavioral changes Behavioral disorders Behavioral disturbances Behavioral problems Behavioral/psychiatric abnormalities Behavioural/Psychiatric abnormality Psychiatric disorders Psychiatric disturbances [ more ]	0000708
Constipation		0002019
Dementia	Dementia, progressive Progressive dementia [ more ]	0000726
Developmental regression	Loss of developmental milestones Mental deterioration in childhood [ more ]	0002376
Dysphagia	Poor swallowing Swallowing difficulties Swallowing difficulty [ more ]	0002015
Hypotension	Low blood pressure	0002615
Intellectual disability	Mental deficiency Mental retardation Mental retardation, nonspecific Mental-retardation [ more ]	0001249
Language impairment		0002463
Parkinsonism		0001300
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormal cerebellum morphology	Abnormality of the cerebellum Cerebellar abnormalities Cerebellar abnormality Cerebellar anomaly [ more ]	0001317
Abnormality of metabolism/homeostasis	Laboratory abnormality Metabolism abnormality [ more ]	0001939
Anarthria	Loss of articulate speech	0002425
Autosomal dominant inheritance		0000006
Babinski sign		0003487
Blepharospasm	Eyelid spasm Eyelid twitching Involuntary closure of eyelid Spontaneous closure of eyelid [ more ]	0000643
Cavitation of the basal ganglia		0007007
Choreoathetosis		0001266
Decreased serum ferritin	Low ferritin level Reduced serum ferritin [ more ]	0012343
Disinhibition		0000734
Dysarthria	Difficulty articulating speech	0001260
Dyskinesia	Disorder of involuntary muscle movements	0100660
Emotional lability	Emotional instability	0000712
Hyperreflexia	Increased reflexes	0001347
Hypomimic face	Dull facial expression	0000338
Laryngeal dystonia		0012049
Micrographia		0031908
Mutism	Inability to speak Muteness [ more ]	0002300
Neurodegeneration	Ongoing loss of nerve cells	0002180
Progressive	Worsens with time	0003676
Rigidity	Muscle rigidity	0002063
Spasticity	Involuntary muscle stiffness, contraction, or spasm	0001257
Subcortical dementia		0007123
Tremor		0001337
Writer's cramp		0002356

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Do you have more information about symptoms of this disease? We want to hear from you.

Last updated: 3/1/2020

Do you have updated information on this disease? We want to hear from you.

Diagnosis Diagnosis

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

Find a Specialist Find a Specialist

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

To find a medical professional who specializes in genetics, you can ask your doctor for a referral or you can search for one yourself. Online directories are provided by the American College of Medical Genetics and the National Society of Genetic Counselors. If you need additional help, contact a GARD Information Specialist. You can also learn more about genetic consultations from Genetics Home Reference.

Related Diseases Related Diseases

Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Differential diagnoses include Huntington disease and spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (see these terms), although neither has the characteristic findings on neuroimaging; choreoacanthocytosis and McLeod neuroacanthocytosis syndrome (see these terms), although, unlike in these two diseases, the reflexes are preserved in neuroferritinopathy, and juvenile-onset Parkinson disease, aceruloplasminemia and Neimann-Pick type C (see these terms), although these disorders do not show the characteristic neuroimaging of neuroferritinopathy. The MRI findings are similar to those found in pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN; see this term). Individuals with neuroferritinopathy also show the 'eye of the tiger'' sign. Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet

Differential diagnoses include Huntington disease and spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (see these terms), although neither has the characteristic findings on neuroimaging; choreoacanthocytosis and McLeod neuroacanthocytosis syndrome (see these terms), although, unlike in these two diseases, the reflexes are preserved in neuroferritinopathy, and juvenile-onset Parkinson disease, aceruloplasminemia and Neimann-Pick type C (see these terms), although these disorders do not show the characteristic neuroimaging of neuroferritinopathy. The MRI findings are similar to those found in pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN; see this term). Individuals with neuroferritinopathy also show the 'eye of the tiger'' sign.

Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Organizations Organizations

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease

NBIA Disorders Association
2082 Monaco Ct.
El Cajon, CA 92019-4235
Telephone: +1-619-588-2315
Fax: +1-619-588-4093
E-mail: info@NBIAdisorders.org
Website: https://www.nbiadisorders.org/

Do you know of an organization? We want to hear from you.

Learn More Learn More

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Neuroferritinopathy. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

In-Depth Information

GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Neuroferritinopathy. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

News & Events News & Events

News

NBIA Disorders Association Announces Research Grants for Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA)
February 19, 2015

GARD Answers GARD Answers

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know. Submit a new question

I was recently diagnosed with neuroferritinopathy. Should I be avoiding foods that are high in iron such as liver, black pudding, cabbage and broccoli? See answer

Have a question? Contact a GARD Information Specialist.