This report describes an 11-month old girl with Hartnup disease presenting with kwashiorkor and acrodermatitis enteropathica-like skin lesions but free of other clinical findings. This case with kwashiorkor had acrodermatitis enteropathica-like desquamative skin eruption. Since zinc level was in the normal range, investigation for a metabolic disorder was considered, and Hartnup disease was diagnosed

Ertekin, Vildan

Konak, Murat

Orbak, Zerrin

Selimoglu, Ayse

Tan, Huseyin

Yilmaz, Nebahat

English

PubMed

This report describes an 11-month old girl with Hartnup disease
presenting with kwashiorkor and acroder-matitis enteropathica-like skin
lesions but free of other clinical findings. This case with kwashiorkor
had acrodermatitis enteropathica-like desquamative skin eruption. Since
zinc level was in the normal range, investigation for a metabolic
disorder was considered, and Hartnup disease was diagnosed

Bioline International

©INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR DIARRHOEALDISEASE RESEARCH, BANGLADESHJ HEALTH POPUL NUTR 2010 Aug;28(4):413-415ISSN 1606-0997 | $ 5.00+0.20Correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed to: Dr. Zerrin OrbakDepartment of Pediatrics Medical FacultyAtaturk University 25240 ErzurumTurkeyEmail: zerrinorbak@yahoo.comFax: +90442 2313564CASE STUDYHartnup Disease Masked by Kwashiorkor Zerrin Orbak1, Vildan Ertekin2, Ayse Selimoglu2,  Nebahat Yilmaz3, Huseyin Tan3, and Murat Konak31Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and 3Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, TurkeyABSTRACTThis report describes an 11-month old girl with Hartnup disease presenting with kwashiorkor and acroder-matitis enteropathica-like skin lesions but free of other clinical findings. This case with kwashiorkor had acrodermatitis enteropathica-like desquamative skin eruption. Since zinc level was in the normal range, investigation for a metabolic disorder was considered, and Hartnup disease was diagnosed.Key words: Acrodermatitis; Case studies; Hartnup disease; Kwashiorkor; TurkeyINTRODUCTIONHartnup disease is an autosomal recessive heredi-tary disorder characterized by a defect in renal tubular re-absorption and intestinal transport of a group of mono-amine-monocarboxylic amino acids (neutral amino acids) (1,2). Although a bio-chemical disorder is always present, the clinical manifestations of Hartnup disease are intermittent and variable. Some asymptomatic cases have been recognized only through routine screening (3,4). In this article, we report a case with Hartnup disease presenting with kwashiorkor and acrodermatitis-like skin lesion.Case reportAn 11-month old girl was admitted with severe kwashiorkor, acrodermatitis enteropathica, diar-rhoea, and urinary tract infection. She had a three-week history of diarrhoea and four-day history of fever. She was born at term, following an unevent-ful pregnancy and delivery. She was almost exclu-sively breastfed during 11 months. Intake of solid foods was very poor. In the medical history, there was nothing eventful until three weeks before ad-mission. Her parents were uneducated, appeared unaware of some basic elements of childcare, and their children did not receive regular medical care. They had not noticed when she began to show growth failure and insufficient weight gain. The parents were first cousins. They and their first child were healthy.On examination, weight (6.470 kg), length (61 cm), and head circumference (42 cm) of the study girls were below the third centile for age. She had the typical features of kwashiorkor (generalized oede-ma, hypopigmented skin lesion on pretibial area, rotund sugar baby appearance, diaper dermatitis, abdominal distention, irritability, and thin, sparse hair) and rickets (obvious rachitic rosary, flaring of the wrists, craniotabes). Gross motor milestones were slightly retarded. There was no ataxia and nys-tagmus.Laboratory evaluation was remarkable for a serum albumin of 2.6 g/dL, urea nitrogen of <6 mg/dL, and normocytic anaemia (7.5 g/dL). The serum alkaline phosphatase was markedly elevated, phosphorus was low, calcium was low normal, 25(OH)-vitamin D level was low, and the parathyroid hormone level was markedly elevated. Serum vitamin B12 and folate levels were normal. Evaluation for other causes of hypo-albuminaemia was negative.Therapy for kwashiorkor was instituted, includ-ing gradual refeeding, initially via a nasogastric tube with a milk-based paediatric nutritional sup-plement. Supplements of vitamin D and calcium were provided. The oedema began to resolve after nutritional support. Serum zinc level was evaluated because an acrodermatitis enteropathica-like desq-uamative skin eruption persevered in the perineal areas (Fig.). Zinc level was in the normal range, Orbak Z et al.Hartnup disease and kwashiorkorJHPN414and so, further investigation for a metabolic disor-der was considered. After urine and blood samples were sent to the laboratory, our patient died on the seventh day of admission due to pneumonia. Chromatography of urinary amino acids revealed massive generalized neutral aminoaciduria and in-dicanuria. These amino acids were detected at low levels in the serum. Based on these findings, the diagnosis of Hartnup disease was made after her death.DISCUSSIONSince the first description of the syndrome in sev-eral members of the Hartnup family in 1956 (5), an excessive number of patients who fulfil the biochemical diagnostic criteria have been reported. The classical clinical symptoms—pellagra-like der-matitis and neurological involvement—closely resemble those of nutritional niacin deficiency. They probably reflect deficient production of the essential tryptophan metabolites, particularly of nicotinamide. However, most patients are asymp-tomatic, possibly because the necessary amount of tryptophan is absorbed in oligopeptide form or be-cause their niacin intake is sufficient (2).Hartnup disease is a disorder characterized by a defect in renal tubular re-absorption and intes-tinal transport of a group of neutral amino acids. It leads to a specific aminoaciduria and to the re-tention of the same specific amino acids, includ-ing tryptophan in the intestine (1,2). Most affected individuals also excrete excessive amounts of in-dolic compound, which originate in the gut from bacterial degradation of unabsorbed tryptophan (1). The hallmark of kwashiorkor is a low serum albumin of dietary origin (6). The pathogenesis of kwashiorkor and peripheral oedema is likely multi-factorial in our patient. The aminoaciduria and the defect of absorption of several amino acids were not compensated due to a limited protein intake, and as a result, kwashiorkor developed. Ozalp et al. described a five-year old girl with Hartnup disease presenting with hypo-albuminaemia and oedema without other clinical findings but did not report protein-energy malnutrition in their patient (7). Reduced intestinal absorption and urinary loss of tryptophan lead to reduced availability of this amino acid for the synthesis of niacin. It is believed that the main classical clinical abnormalities are a consequence of niacin deficiency. These include a pellagra-like skin rash and reversible episodes of neu-rologic dysfunction (1). The most dramatic expres-sion of the neurological involvement is cerebellar ataxia. Intention tremor, nystagmus, diplopia, per-sistent headache, and psychiatric symptoms may be present (8). Patients have been reported with developmental retardation but no other symptoms (9). Our patient had slightly delayed gross motor milestones. Also, it is known that the clinical mani-festations are intermittent and variable, and they show a tendency towards spontaneous improve-ment with age (1).A striking skin-rash is usually the first to become apparent (1,2). It occurs in the late infantile or ju-venile period and occasionally in early infancy. The rash is identical to that seen in pellagra, dietary nia-cin deficiency. A red, scaly rash appears over the face, neck, hands, external surface of the arms, and dorsal surface of the feet. The skin is photosensitive, and the typical rash appears after exposure to the rays of sunlight (1). It is interesting that our patient did not show any clear signs of niacin deficiency despite hypo-albuminaemia. Skin lesions in our case were of the acrodermatitis enteropathica-type, and these were different from the typical skin eruptions   ABFig. Acrodermatitis enteropathica-like skin lesion in the perianal region (A: Posterior view and B: Anterior view) Orbak Z et al.Hartnup disease and kwashiorkorVolume 28 | Number 4 | August 2010 415of Hartnup disease. Acrodermatitis enteropathica lesions as a result of zinc deficiency are frequent in kwashiorkor. We think that acrodermatitis en-teropathica-like lesions without hypozincaemia in protein-energy malnutrition should be a stimulus for investigating for Hartnup disease. Other than exposure to the sunlight, it is also known that fever, diarrhoea, inadequate diet, or psychological stress may precipitate the symptoms (2). Scriver et al. re-ported an eczematoid eruption over the body and thighs associated with oedema, followed by a pro-longed episode of diarrhoea in one of 21 affected individuals identified through screening of new-borns (10). We know that all neutral amino acids are lost to a variable degree in urine and stool as a consequence of the membrane-transport abnormality. Although our patient had malnutrition and insufficient food intake, Hartnup disease has provoked a progression of kwashiorkor. Consequently, Hartnup disease is manifested by a wide clinical spectrum. Most patients remain asymptomatic. The association of kwashiorkor and acrodermatitis enteropathica-like lesions, especially during infancy, may be accepted as one of the indi-cations for systematic evaluation for some inborn errors of metabolic diseases in particular, for Hart-nup disease. Malnutrition and a low-protein diet are the primary factors that contribute to morbidi-ty (11). Based on our experience with this patient, we re-emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and effective treatment of the disease.REFERENCES 1. Lyon G, Adams RD, Kolodny EH. Neurology of he-reditary metabolic diseases of children. 2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1996:268-70.2. Simell O, Parto K, Näntö-Salonen K. Transport de-fects of amino acids at the cell membrane: cystinuria, lysinuric protein intolerance and hartnup disorder. In: Fernandes J, Saudubray JM, van den Berghe G, ed-itors. Inborn metabolic diseases: diagnosis and treat-ment. 3rd rev ed. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2000:265-77. 3. Seakins JWT, Ersser RS. Effects of amino acid loads on a health infant with the biochemical features of Hart-nup disease. Arch Dis Child 1967;42:682-8.4. Wilcken B, Yu SJ, Brown DA. Natural history of Hart-nup disease. Arch Dis Child 1977;52:38-40.5. Baron DN, Dent CE, Harris H, Hart EW, Jepson JB. He-reditary pellagra-like skin rash with temporary cerebel-lar ataxia, constant renal amino-aciduria, and other bizarre biochemical features. Lancet 1956;271:421-8.6. Carvalho NF, Kenney RD, Carrington PH, Hall DE. Severe nutritional deficiencies in toddlers result-ing from health food milk alternatives. Pediatrics 2001;107:E46.7. Ozalp I, Saatçi U, Hassa R. A case of Hartnup disor-der with hypoalbuminemia and edema. Turk J Pediatr 1977;19:73-7.8. Nyhan WL, Barshop BA, Ozand PT. Atlas of metabol-ic diseases. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc., 2005:479-90. 9. Shih VE, Bixby EM, Alpers DH, Bartoscas CS, Their SO. Studies of intestinal transport defect in Hartnup disease. Gastroenterology 1971;61:445-53.10. Scriver CR, Mahon B, Levy HL, Clow CL, Reade TM, Kronick J et al. The Hartnup phenotype: Mendelian transport disorder, multifactorial disease. Am J Hum Genet 1987;40:401-12.11. Lidija Kandolf Sekulovic L, Karadaglic D, Stojanov L. Hartnup disease. (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1115549-overview, accessed on 6 February 2009).

Hartnup disease masked by Kwashiorkor

University of Toronto Research Repository

A case of Hartnup disorder with hypoalbuminemia and edema.

Atlas of metabolic diseases. 2nd ed.

Effects of amino acid loads on a health infant with the biochemical features of Hartnup disease.

Hartnup disease. (http://emedicine.medscape.com/ article/1115549-overview, accessed on 6

Hereditary pellagra-like skin rash with temporary cerebellar ataxia, constant renal amino-aciduria, and other bizarre biochemical features.

Kolodny EH. Neurology of hereditary metabolic diseases of children. 2nd ed.

Natural history of Hartnup disease.

Severe nutritional deficiencies in toddlers resulting from health food milk alternatives. Pediatrics

Studies of intestinal transport defect in Hartnup disease.

The Hartnup phenotype: Mendelian transport disorder, multifactorial disease.

Transport defects of amino acids at the cell membrane: cystinuria, lysinuric protein intolerance and hartnup disorder.

Hartnup Disease Masked by Kwashiorkor

Hartnup Disease Masked by Kwashiorkor

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