eMedicine Specialties > Pediatrics: Genetics and Metabolic Disease > Metabolic Diseases

Argininosuccinate Lyase Deficiency: Follow-up

Author: Karl S Roth, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Creighton University School of Medicine
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Mar 24, 2009

Follow-up

Further Outpatient Care

  • Under no circumstances should a patient with a urea cycle defect be cared for exclusively by a primary care provider.
  • Consult with a biochemical geneticist/metabolic disease specialist who is skilled in treating urea cycle diseases when treating patients with argininosuccinate (ASA) lyase deficiency.
  • Frequent dietary and medication adjustments are essential, especially in growing infants, and should be made only with quantitative monitoring of plasma amino acid levels.
  • Close attention to dietary intake and adjustments is a critical part of management and should involve the help of a highly trained nutritionist.

Deterrence/Prevention

  • Using chorionic villus sampling, prenatal diagnosis is possible as early as 11-12 weeks’ gestation. This should be discussed with any family with one or more affected first-degree relatives.

Complications

  • Untreated patients may develop cerebral edema and die, and some patients die despite treatment.
  • Mental retardation is a common sequela.

Prognosis

  • Prognosis is guarded.
  • Although intellectual impairment is the rule, even among patients who receive excellent and timely treatment, some patients with ASA lyase deficiency reportedly develop normally.

Patient Education

  • Advise parents of an affected infant that they are obligate heterozygotes because the disease is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. This trait leads to a recurrence risk of 1:4 (25%) with each subsequent pregnancy.
  • Prenatal diagnosis is available for ASA lyase deficiency, although the involved diagnostic procedures are not trivial. Even in cases in which elective abortion is not an option, parents should be prepared for an affected infant in order to avoid early hyperammonemia.
  • Advise parents to scrupulously follow the dietary and medication instructions and to seek early medical attention for all intercurrent illnesses.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Failure to suspect and detect hyperammonemia is likely to result in irreversible brain damage or death.
  • Inadequate treatment may stabilize the patient clinically but may permit ongoing brain damage.
 


More on Argininosuccinate Lyase Deficiency

Overview: Argininosuccinate Lyase Deficiency
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Argininosuccinate Lyase Deficiency
Treatment & Medication: Argininosuccinate Lyase Deficiency
Follow-up: Argininosuccinate Lyase Deficiency
Multimedia: Argininosuccinate Lyase Deficiency
References
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References

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  2. Falik-Zaccai TC, Kfir N, Frenkel P, et al. Population screening in a Druze community: the challenge and the reward. Genet Med. Dec 2008;10(12):903-9. [Medline].

  3. Keskinen P, Siitonen A, Salo M. Hereditary urea cycle diseases in Finland. Acta Paediatr. Oct 2008;97(10):1412-9. [Medline].

  4. Berry GT, Steiner RD. Long-term management of patients with urea cycle disorders. J Pediatr. Jan 2001;138(1 Suppl):S56-60; discussion S60-1. [Medline].

  5. Brosnan ME, Brosnan JT. Orotic acid excretion and arginine metabolism. J Nutr. Jun 2007;137(6 Suppl 2):1656S-1661S. [Medline].

  6. Brusilow SW, Batshaw ML. Arginine therapy of argininosuccinase deficiency. Lancet. Jan 20 1979;1(8108):124-7. [Medline].

  7. Collins FS, Summer GK, Schwartz RP. Neonatal argininosuccinic aciduria-survival after early diagnosis and dietary management. J Pediatr. Mar 1980;96(3 Pt 1):429-31. [Medline].

  8. Glick NR, Snodgrass PJ, Schafer IA. Neonatal argininosuccinic aciduria with normal brain and kidney but absent liver argininosuccinate lyase activity. Am J Hum Genet. Jan 1976;28(01):22-30. [Medline].

  9. Kleijer WJ, Garritsen VH, van der Sterre ML, et al. Prenatal diagnosis of citrullinemia and argininosuccinic aciduria: evidence for a transmission ratio distortion in citrullinemia. Prenatal Diagnosis. Mar 2006;26(3):242-7. [Medline].

  10. Linnebank M, Tschiedel E, Haberle J, et al. Argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) deficiency: mutation analysis in 27 patients and a completed structure of the human ASL gene. Hum Genet. Oct 2002;111(4-5):350-9. [Medline].

  11. Reid Sutton V, Pan Y, Davis EC, Craigen WJ. A mouse model of argininosuccinic aciduria: biochemical characterization. Mol Genet Metab. Jan 2003;78(1):11-6. [Medline].

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  13. Stadler S, Gempel K, Bieger I, et al. Detection of neonatal argininosuccinate lyase deficiency by serum tandem mass spectrometry. J Inherit Metab Dis. Jun 2001;24(3):370-8. [Medline].

  14. Steiner RD, Cederbaum SD. Laboratory evaluation of urea cycle disorders. J Pediatr. Jan 2001;138(1 Suppl):S21-9. [Medline].

  15. Stephenne X, Najimi M, Sibille C, Nassogne MC, Smets F, Sokal EM. Sustained engraftment and tissue enzyme activity after liver cell transplantation for argininosuccinate lyase deficiency. Gastroenterology. Apr 2006;130(4):1317-23. [Medline].

  16. Trevisson E, Salviati L, Baldoin MC, et al. Argininosuccinate lyase deficiency: mutational spectrum in Italian patients and identification of a novel ASL pseudogene. Hum Mutat. Feb 26 2007;28(7):694-702. [Medline].

  17. Widhalm K, Koch S, Scheibenreiter S, et al. Long-term follow-up of 12 patients with the late-onset variant of argininosuccinic acid lyase deficiency: no impairment of intellectual and psychomotor development during therapy. Pediatrics. Jun 1992;89(6 Pt 2):1182-4. [Medline].

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Further Reading

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Keywords

argininosuccinase, ASA, argininosuccinase lyase deficiency, ASA lyase deficiency, argininosuccinic aciduria, argininosuccinase deficiency, hyperammonemia, hepatic urea cycle, -acetylglutamate, carbamyl phosphate synthetase, CPS, trichorrhexis nodosa, friable hair, choreoathetotic movement disorder, ASL deficiency, diagnosis, treatment, mental retardation, respiratory failure

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Karl S Roth, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Creighton University School of Medicine
Karl S Roth, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Nutrition, American Pediatric Society, American Society for Clinical Nutrition, American Society of Nephrology, Association of American Medical Colleges, Medical Society of Virginia, New York Academy of Sciences, Sigma Xi, Society for Pediatric Research, and Southern Society for Pediatric Research
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Robert D Steiner, MD, Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular and Medical Genetics, Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University; Director and Consulting Staff, Metabolic Bone Disease Clinic, Shriner's Hospital and Doernbecher Children's Hospital; Co-Director: Pediatric and Child Health Research, Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTSA).
Robert D Steiner, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Medical Genetics, American Society of Human Genetics, Oregon Medical Association, Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders, Society for Pediatric Research, Society for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism, and Western Society for Pediatric Research
Disclosure: Genzyme Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Genzyme Grant/research funds Other; Shire Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Actelion Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Biomarin Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Biomarin Consulting fee Consulting

Pharmacy Editor

Mary L Windle, PharmD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy, Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Pfizer Inc Stock Investment from financial planner; Avanir Pharma Stock Investment from financial planner ; WebMD Salary and stock Employment and investment from financial planner

Managing Editor

Leonard G Feld, MD, PhD, MMM, FAAP, Sara H Bissell and Howard C Bissell Endowed Chair in Pediatrics, Chief Medical Officer, Levine Children's Hospital, Carolinas Medical Center
Leonard G Feld, MD, PhD, MMM, FAAP is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physician Executives, American Society of Nephrology, American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, International Society of Nephrology, and Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Paul D Petry, DO, FACOP, FAAP, Consulting Staff, Freeman Pediatric Care, Freeman Health System
Paul D Petry, DO, FACOP, FAAP is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Osteopathy, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians, and American Osteopathic Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Bruce Buehler, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Pathology and Microbiology, Executive Director, Hattie B Munroe Center for Human Genetics and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Bruce Buehler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association on Mental Retardation, American College of Medical Genetics, American College of Physician Executives, American Medical Association, and Nebraska Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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