[Niemann-Pick type C disease: pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment]

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder which is caused in 95% by a mutation in the NPC1 gene on chromosome 18 or by NPC2 mutation, encoding for 2 different lysosomal lipid transport proteins. The impaired protein function leads to systemic intralysosomal accumulation of free cholesterol and shingolipids particularly in the CNS. In Japan, currently 34 living NPC patients are known as of December 2015. Considering the prevalence of the disease in the Western countries, the real number of NPC patients is most likely to be five-folds higher. For NPC, treatment methods are established and an approved disease-specific medications are available. It is important that patients early in their disease are referred to expert centers, in order to ensure timely initiation of treatment and to delay the progression of neurological symptoms as a goal.