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Polyunsaturated fatty acid status in treated isovaleric acidemia patients
M Dercksen1,2, W Kulik1, L J Mienie2
1Laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases, Departments of Pediatrics and Clinical Chemistry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Background/Objectives:
Nutritional deficiencies are frequently observed when treating patients with inborn errors of metabolism due to an unbalanced diet. Thus far, patients with isovaleric acidemia (IVA) who adhere to a restricted protein diet have not been investigated in this respect. We hypothesize that these patients may have a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) deficiency, leading to potential clinical complications.
Subjects/Methods:
We examined the nutritional status by reporting on potential deficiencies in PUFAs in treated IVA patients. A general clinical chemistry work-up as well as gas chromatography flame ionization detector analysis was performed to determine PUFAs in the plasma of 10 IVA patients.
Results:
The general clinical chemistry tests did not indicate severe hematological abnormalities or nutritional insufficiencies. We identified a significant reduction in plasma PUFA levels, especially in omega-3 (all acids, P<0.001) and omega-6 (in particular 20:3n-6 P<0.0001 and 20:4n-6 P=0.0005) fatty acids. In addition, an elevation in omega-9 fatty acids, with the exception of 20:3n-9 and C22:1n-9, was not suggestive of complete essential fatty acid deficiency but rather indicative of isolated and/or combined omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid depletion.
Conclusions:
This study emphasizes the potential nutritional insufficiencies that may occur because of therapeutic intervention in IVA.
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