Fucosidosis: clinical and molecular findings of Turkish patients

Fucosidosis is a rare, autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease caused by alpha L- fucosidase enzyme deficiency in all tissues. Here, we identify a patient with a novel homozygous pathogenic variant and atypical clinical findings and summarized the clinical and molecular features of Turkish patients reported in the literature and present.

The patient was born to consangineous parents at the 28th week of gestation. He had developmental delay that was attributed to prematurity. At he age of 2.5 years, brain magnetic resonans imaging revealed hyperintensities of symmetrical periventricular, subcortical, centrum semiovale and corona radiata regions on T2 and FLAIR weighted images. He developed seizures and showed developmental regression at he age of 3,5 years. Beside, coarse facial features and hepatomegaly were detected on phsyical examination. Lysosomal enzyme analysis revelaed alfa fucosidase deficiency and molecular genetic analysis identified a novel homozygous pathogenic p. Lys431 fs variant in FUCA1 gene.

In Turkish patients no distinguishable clinical and radiologic finding could be established. Molecular analysis was performed in few patients. Increasing of molecular and biochemical facilities might enable to make diagnosis and increase the prevalence of the disease in countries with high rate of consanguineous marriages. Moreover, it will provide genetic counseling, and enlighten the therapeutic effects of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.