The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) provides the following list of features that have been reported in people with this condition. Much of the information in the HPO comes from Orphanet, a European rare disease database. If available, the list includes a rough estimate of how common a feature is (its frequency). Frequencies are based on a specific study and may not be representative of all studies. You can use the MedlinePlus Medical Dictionary for definitions of the terms below.
| Signs and Symptoms | Approximate number of patients (when available) |
| Behavioral abnormality | 90% |
| Cognitive impairment | 90% |
| Decreased nerve conduction velocity | 90% |
| Developmental regression | 90% |
| Gait disturbance | 90% |
| Genu recurvatum | 90% |
| Incoordination | 90% |
| Muscle weakness | 90% |
| Neurological speech impairment | 90% |
| Peripheral neuropathy | 90% |
| Reduced consciousness/confusion | 90% |
| Seizures | 90% |
| Amaurosis fugax | 50% |
| Hyperreflexia | 50% |
| Hypertonia | 50% |
| Limitation of joint mobility | 50% |
| Muscular hypotonia | 50% |
| Nystagmus | 50% |
| Optic atrophy | 50% |
| Aganglionic megacolon | 7.5% |
| Ataxia | - |
| Autosomal recessive inheritance | - |
| Babinski sign | - |
| Bulbar palsy | - |
| Cholecystitis | - |
| Chorea | - |
| Delusions | - |
| Dysarthria | - |
| Dystonia | - |
| EMG: neuropathic changes | - |
| Emotional lability | - |
| Gallbladder dysfunction | - |
| Hallucinations | - |
| Hyporeflexia | - |
| Increased CSF protein | - |
| Intellectual disability | - |
| Loss of speech | - |
| Mental deterioration | - |
| Peripheral demyelination | - |
| Progressive peripheral neuropathy | - |
| Spastic tetraplegia | - |
| Tetraplegia | - |
| Urinary incontinence | - |
If someone has a family history of metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) or someone is known to be a carrier for MLD, individuals who are biologically related to the affected individual or carrier are at risk to be a carrier. Generally speaking, the more closely related an individual is to the affected individual or carrier, the greater the chance for that person to be a carrier. Prior to genetic testing, the chance to be a carrier for some biological relatives of an affected individual are as follows:
If someone has carrier testing and is found to be negative (not a carrier), that person's children are typically assumed to be negative also.
More information about the use of genetic carrier testing is available on GeneTests' Web site and can be viewed by clicking here.
Individuals who are interested in learning about genetic testing and about their specific risk to be a carrier should speak with a genetics professional.
The resources below provide information about treatment options for this condition. If you have questions about which treatment is right for you, talk to your healthcare professional.
Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.
Nonprofit support and advocacy groups bring together patients, families, medical professionals, and researchers. These groups often raise awareness, provide support, and develop patient-centered information. Many are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct people to research, resources, and services. Many groups also have experts who serve as medical advisors. Visit their website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD. Suggest an organization to add.
Living with a genetic or rare disease can impact the daily lives of patients and families. These resources can help families navigate various aspects of living with a rare disease.
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.
Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar on Lysosomes and Endocytosis
Sunday, June 15, 2014 -
Friday, June 20, 2014
Location: Proctor Academy,
Andover,
NH
Description: The main goal of the Lysosomes and Endocytosis GRC is to foster the dissemination of current research results and the establishment of new research areas and new collaborations in the area of the cell biology of endocytosis, lysosomes, endosomes and related organelles. We hope that many of these new directions and collaborations will be directed toward the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic diseases such as lysosomal storage disorders, Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, Chediak-Higashi syndrome, Niemann Pick disease and tuberous sclerosis, among others.
Contact: Alexandra Ainsztein, Ph.D.(301) 594-0828, Alexandra.Ainsztein@nih.gov
Co-funding Institute(s): National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Office of Rare Diseases Research
WORLD Symposium 2010 (Lysosomal Disease Network's 6th Annual Research Meeting)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 -
Friday, February 12, 2010
Location: Miami Hilton Downtown,
Miami,
Florida
Description: The specific aims of this meeting were to (1) emphasize the strategies for, and identify the obstacles to, moving from translational research to clinical trials; (2) coalesce members of the LD network into functional research collaborations and present to the LDN community progress on the specific projects that are part of the funded U54 RDCRN grant; (3) foster interdisciplinary collaboration with the overall goal of improving knowledge of basic discoveries and clinical manifestations of these diseases; (4) provide an educational forum for young investigators, clinicians, and researchers in the field; (5) identify and discuss the latest findings in the natural history of lysosomal diseases, diagnostic testing and screening, and treatment, with specific focus on (a) inflammatory components of lysosomal diseases and autophagy, especially in the central nervous system, (b) new treatments of the central nervous systems, and (c) ethics and efficacy in treating the presymptomatic or asymptomatic patient; and (6) identify areas requiring additional basic and clinical research and public policy and regulatory attention, such as ethics and economics, and factors that impact implementation of therapy, including newborn screening.
Contact: Dr. Danilo A. Tagle(301) 496-5745tagled@mninds.nih.gov
Co-funding Institute(s): National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Office of Rare Diseases Research
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The following diseases are related to Metachromatic leukodystrophy. If you have a question about any of these diseases, you can contact GARD.
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My 2 year old grandson has MLD. So both parents are carriers. I have three other children and 2 of them have one child each. All 3 of my other children are planning to have another child. Who in the family needs to be tested for the carrier gene for MLD? Does a child of a carrier automatically become a carrier as well? Will that carrier gene continue to be passed on and should all my family be tested? See answer
We found out my cousin has metachromatic leukodystrophy about 8 months ago. He has the adult form. He was having some problems about a year before we found out. I was wondering how long he might have to live and how bad the disease will get over time. See answer
