Neuronal intranuclear hyaline inclusion disease associated with premature coronary atherosclerosis

Neuronal intranuclear hyaline inclusion disease (NIHID) has been recognized in 14 patients. It usually occurs in the first and second decades but has been seen in the sixth. Both sexes are affected by this sporadic multisystem degenerative disorder that has involved the central and peripheral nervous systems with fibrillar and granular intranuclear inclusions. NIHID appears to be several variants of a multisystem degenerative disease as illustrated by the combination of a spontaneous, degenerative central and peripheral nervous system disorder with neuronal intranuclear inclusions and severe atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in a 23-year-old white man. Beginning at 11 years of age, this patient had experienced diffuse muscle spasms, dysarthria, dysphagia, tremors, ataxia, oculogyric crises, progressive muscle weakness, and atrophy. At autopsy, neuronal intranuclear hyaline inclusions and neuronal loss were seen in his brain, brainstem, cerebellum, spinal cord, bowel, bladder, and esophagus. These fibrillary and granular Cowdry type A and B intraneuronal inclusions were consistent with the diagnosis of NIHID associated with severe coronary atherosclerosis.