Type 1 Gaucher disease is the most common form of this condition. Type 1 is also called non-neuronopathic Gaucher disease because the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) are usually not affected. The features of this condition range from mild to severe and may appear anytime from childhood to adulthood. Major signs and symptoms include enlargement of the liver and spleen (hepatosplenomegaly), a low number of red blood cells (anemia), easy bruising caused by a decrease in blood platelets (thrombocytopenia), lung disease, and bone abnormalities such as bone pain, fractures, and arthritis.
Gaucher disease is an inherited, enzyme deficiency, disorder. Symptoms range from mild to severe and can appear at any time, from infancy to old age. These Gaucher symptons may include anaemia, fatigue, easy bruising and a tendency to bleed. The most common form of Gaucher disease (Type 1) affects 1 in 100,000 of the general population although it is estimated that not all those who have Gaucher disease will show symptoms. In the rarer Type 2 and Type 3 Gaucher disease, neurological problems will occur.
The most severe type of Gaucher disease is called the perinatal lethal form. This condition causes severe or life-threatening complications starting before birth or in infancy. Features of the perinatal lethal form can include extensive swelling caused by fluid accumulation before birth (hydrops fetalis); dry, scaly skin (ichthyosis) or other skin abnormalities; hepatosplenomegaly; distinctive facial features; and serious neurological problems. As its name indicates, most infants with the perinatal lethal form of Gaucher disease survive for only a few days after birth.
The degree of enzyme deficiency varies from person to person, so the extent and timing of symptoms can vary enormously. The symptoms also depend on which type of Gaucher's is present. The affected organs, including the spleen and liver, become enlarged and don't work properly. Anaemia, tiredness, easy bruising and a tendency to bleed are common.
Gaucher disease affects an estimated 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 people in the general population. Persons of Eastern and Central European (Ashkenazi) Jewish heritage are at highest risk for the disease. It is an autosomal recessive disease. This means that the mother and father must both pass one abnormal copy of the gene to the child in order for the child to develop the disease. A parent who silently carries an abnormal copy of the gene is called a carrier.
Highly effective enzyme replacement therapy is available for most patients with types 1 and 3 Gaucher disease. This therapy decreases liver and spleen size, reduces skeletal anomalies, and successfully reverses other symptoms of the disorder, including abnormal blood counts. Bone marrow transplantation (a procedure to replace damaged or destroyed blood-forming cells) can reverse the non-neurological effects of type 1 Gaucher disease, but it carries a high mortality rate due to imperfect donor matches. This procedure has been replaced by enzyme replacement therapy. There is no effective treatment for severe brain damage that may occur in patients with types 2 and 3 Gaucher disease.
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