The neurocognitive impact of Fabry disease on pediatric patients

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder that results in progressive multisystemic organ complications. Several studies have examined neurocognitive impairments in adults; however, there is a paucity of research examining neurocognitive functioning in children with FD. This is the first exploratory study to examine the neurocognitive functioning of pediatric patients with FD and to evaluate the effects of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) on neurocognitive functioning within this population. Families attending a national conference with at least one child with FD and one parent affected by FD comprised the sample (n = 48; 24 pediatric patients, 24 parents). Pediatric participants (10 males, 14 females) between the ages of 6 and 18 years and their parent(s) were involved in the study. Data from a demographic questionnaire and two neurocognitive self-report and parent-report measures were analyzed. Parent reports of neurocognitive functioning were also compared to a sample of children with and without head injury and to a sample of children who had undergone liver transplant (LT). Children with FD had poorer cognitive and executive functioning than healthy peers, and were comparable to children with head injury and LT. In addition, children using ERT had higher scores on measures of overall cognitive functioning, as well as fewer problems with attention/working memory and executive functioning. Results of this study suggest that children with FD may exhibit poorer cognitive and executive functioning relative to healthy peers. The use of ERT may mitigate the negative impact of FD on neurocognitive functioning in pediatric patients.