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Published on: March 1, 2015
An Infantile Case of Sandhoff Disease Presenting With Swallowing Difficulty
Jae-Gun Moon1, Min-A Shin1, Hannah Pyo1
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, National Rehabilitation Center, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
Sandhoff disease, a rare genetic disorder, presents in infants with motor skill loss and seizures. This case highlights rapid nutritional decline in a child with Sandhoff disease due to swallowing difficulties.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Genetics
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Sandhoff disease is a rare neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder.
- Infants typically appear normal until 3-6 months, then develop progressive neurological symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a rare case of Sandhoff disease in a 22-month-old girl.
- To describe the challenges of dysphagia and nutritional decline in this patient.
- To review the literature on Sandhoff disease management.
Main Methods:
- Case report of a 22-month-old female with Sandhoff disease.
- Clinical observation of motor weakness, dysphagia, and aspiration.
- Assessment of nutritional status and feeding difficulties.
Main Results:
- The patient presented with progressive motor weakness and dysphagia at 20 months.
- Oromotor dysfunction and abnormal feeding posture complicated swallowing.
- Rapid decrease in food intake and nutritional status deterioration occurred within 3 months.
Conclusions:
- Dysphagia significantly impacts nutritional status in Sandhoff disease.
- Early identification and management of feeding issues are crucial.
- This case underscores the challenges in managing advanced Sandhoff disease.
Abstract:
Infants with Sandhoff disease typically appear normal until 3-6 months of age. As the disease progresses, they present with symptoms such as loss of motor skills, exaggerated startle response to loud noise, seizures, visual loss, and paralysis. We encountered a rare case of a 22-month-old girl with Sandhoff disease characterized by progressive motor weakness and dysphagia, who initially showed signs of aspiration at 20 months of age. The major problems related to dysphagia were oromotor dysfunction and abnormal feeding posture. Within 3 months of identification of difficulty in swallowing, the patient showed a significant decrease in food intake, with rapid deterioration of nutritional status. We report our case with a review of the literature.
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