What builds up in Niemann-Pick?
Lipids (fatty materials such as waxes, fatty acids, oils, and cholesterol) and proteins are usually broken down into smaller components to provide energy for the body. In Niemann-Pick disease, harmful quantities of lipids accumulate in the brain, spleen, liver, lungs, and bone marrow.
What are characteristics of Niemann-Pick cells?
Niemann-Pick signs and symptoms may include: Clumsiness and difficulty walking. Excessive muscle contractions (dystonia) or eye movements. Sleep disturbances.
How long can you live with Niemann-Pick type C?
Niemann-Pick type C is always fatal. However, life expectancy depends on when symptoms begin. If symptoms appear in infancy, your child isn’t likely to live past the age of 5. If symptoms appear after 5 years of age, your child is likely to live until about 20 years of age.
What is Niemann-Pick disease Type A?
Niemann-Pick disease is a rare genetic condition that affects many of the body’s organs and systems, including the central nervous system. It is one of about 50 diseases classified as lysosomal storage disorders (LSD), where a genetic variation disrupts the normal activity of lysosomes in human cells.
What is Niemann-Pick disease type B?
Niemann-Pick disease type B is an inherited condition involving lipid metabolism. People with this condition experience a build up of lipids in the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow, and brain.
Is Niemann-Pick disease curable?
No cure exists for Niemann-Pick disease. No effective treatment is available to people with type A or B. For people with mild to moderate type C, a drug called miglustat (Zavesca) may be an option.
How common is it to be a carrier of Niemann-Pick disease?
Niemann-Pick disease types A and B is estimated to affect 1 in 250,000 individuals. Niemann-Pick disease type A occurs more frequently among individuals of Ashkenazi (eastern and central European) Jewish descent than in the general population.
What causes Niemann-Pick Type C?
Niemann-Pick disease type C is caused by a mutation in either the NPC1 or NPC2 genes, which provide instructions for the production of special proteins in lysosomes that are responsible for the movement of cholesterol and other fats.
How common is Niemann-Pick disease type C?
Niemann-Pick C disease (NP-C) is a neurovisceral atypical lysosomal lipid storage disorder with an estimated minimal incidence of 1/120,000 live births. The broad clinical spectrum ranges from a neonatal rapidly fatal disorder to an adult-onset chronic neurodegenerative disease.
How is Niemann-Pick treated?
What is the difference between Niemann-Pick disease type a and Type B?
Niemann-Pick Disease Type A (NP-A) and Niemann-Pick Disease Type B (NP-B) were once thought to be separate diseases, but are now understood to be opposite ends of a spectrum of the same disease.
What are the types of Niemann-Pick disease?
Niemann-Pick disease is a condition that affects many body systems. It has a wide range of symptoms that vary in severity. Niemann-Pick disease is divided into four main types: type A, type B, type C1, and type C2. These types are classified on the basis of genetic cause and the signs and symptoms of the condition.
How is Niemann-Pick disease inherited?
It is inherited when two copies of a faulty gene (a mutation) are passed on to a child. In every pregnancy of a couple who each carry a copy of the faulty Niemann-Pick gene, there is a 1 in 4 chance (25%) that their child will have Niemann-Pick disease. This is known as autosomal recessive inheritance.
What are the signs and symptoms of Niemann-Pick disease type B?
Niemann-Pick disease type B usually presents in mid-childhood. The signs and symptoms of this type are similar to type A, but not as severe. People with Niemann-Pick disease type B often have hepatosplenomegaly, recurrent lung infections, and a low number of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia).