Abstract
We present a brief review of Gaucher disease, the most common lysosomal storage disease. Gaucher disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by defective function of the catabolic enzyme β- glucocerebrosidase, leading to an accumulation of its substrate, glucocerebroside, in the mononuclear phagocyte system, especially histiocytes in the spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow; Kupffer cells in the liver; osteoclasts in bone; microglia in the central nervous system; alveolar macrophages in the lungs; and histiocytes in the gastrointestinal tracts, genitourinary tracts, and the peritoneum. Clinical signs and symptoms include neurologic dysfunctions, bone infarcts and malformations, hepatosplenomegaly and hypersplenism leading to anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia. Enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant glucocerebrosidase is the mainstay of treatment for Gaucher disease, which became the first successfully managed lipid storage disease. Future treatments may include oral enzyme replacement and/or gene therapy interventions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 851-853 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine |
Volume | 132 |
Issue number | 5 |
State | Published - May 2008 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Medical Laboratory Technology