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Type I tyrosinemia

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:

Overview

Overview

Type I tyrosinemia is the most severe form of this disorder and is caused by a shortage of the enzyme fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (EC 3.7.1.2), encoded by the gene FAH found on chromosome number 15. Fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase is the last in a series of five enzymes needed to break down tyrosine. Symptoms of type I tyrosinemia usually appear in the first few months of life and include failure to gain weight and grow at the expected rate (failure to thrive), diarrhea, vomiting, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), cabbagelike odor, and increased tendency to bleed (particularly nosebleeds). Type I tyrosinemia can lead to liver and kidney failure, problems affecting the nervous system, and an increased risk of liver cancer.

Worldwide, type I tyrosinemia affects about 1 person in 100,000. This type of tyrosinemia is much more common in Quebec, Canada. The overall incidence in Quebec is about 1 in 16,000 individuals. In the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, type 1 tyrosinemia affects 1 person in 1,846.[1]

Historical Perspective

Historical Perspective

Classification

Classification

Pathophysiology

Pathophysiology

Causes

Causes

Differentiating Type I tyrosinemia from Other Diseases

Differentiating Type I tyrosinemia from Other Diseases

Epidemiology and Demographics

Epidemiology and Demographics

Risk Factors

Risk Factors

Screening

Screening

Natural History, Complications, and Prognosis

Natural History, Complications, and Prognosis

Natural History

Complications

Prognosis

Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Diagnostic Criteria

History and Symptoms

Physical Examination

Laboratory Findings

Imaging Findings

Other Diagnostic Studies

Treatment

Treatment

Medical Therapy

Surgery

Prevention

References

References

  1. Grompe M, St-Louis M, Demers SI, al-Dhalimy M, Leclerc B, Tanguay RM (1994). “A single mutation of the fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase gene in French Canadians with hereditary tyrosinemia type I”. N. Engl. J. Med. 331 (6): 353–7. PMID 8028615.

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