home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- $Unique_ID{BRK04002}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Microvillus Inclusion Disease}
- $Subject{Microvillus Inclusion Disease Congenital Familial Protracted Diarrhea
- Congenital Microvillus Atrophy Davidson's Disease Familial Enteropathy Lactose
- Intolerance Familial Chloride Diarrhea Infantile Diarrhea With Abnormal Hair
- Congenital Sodium Diarrhea }
- $Volume{}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (C) 1989 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.
-
- 709:
- Microvillus Inclusion Disease
-
- ** IMPORTANT **
- It is possible that the main title of the article (Microvillus Inclusion
- Disease) is not the name you expected. Please check the SYNONYM listing to
- find the alternate names and disorder subdivisions covered by this article.
-
- Synonyms
-
- Congenital Familial Protracted Diarrhea
- Congenital Microvillus Atrophy
- Davidson's Disease
- Familial Enteropathy
-
- Information on the following diseases can be found in the Related
- Disorders section of this report:
-
- Lactose Intolerance
- Familial Chloride Diarrhea
- Infantile Diarrhea With Abnormal Hair
- Congenital Sodium Diarrhea
-
- General Discussion
-
- ** REMINDER **
- The information contained in the Rare Disease Database is provided for
- educational purposes only. It should not be used for diagnostic or treatment
- purposes. If you wish to obtain more information about this disorder, please
- contact your personal physician and/or the agencies listed in the "Resources"
- section of this report.
-
- Microvillus Inclusion Disease causes chronic, severe, watery diarrhea in
- infants starting at birth or within seventy-two hours after birth. The
- disorder progresses as the child matures.
-
- Symptoms
-
- Microvillus Inclusion Disease is characterized by severe, large amounts of
- watery diarrhea appearing at birth or within seventy-two hours. The diarrhea
- persists even after oral feeding is stopped and does not decrease with age.
- Infants affected by this disorder require total intravenous feeding. The
- diarrhea often results in dehydration and acidosis which may cause kidney
- failure, requiring the infant to be hospitalized. There may also be related
- growth retardation and developmental delay.
-
- Causes
-
- Microvillus Inclusion Disease is thought to be caused by a basic defect in
- the cells in the intestinal wall (brush-border assembly and differentiation)
- of the small intestine and colon. It is inherited as an autosomal recessive
- genetic trait.
-
- Human traits, including the classic genetic diseases, are the product of
- the interaction of two genes, one received from the father and one from the
- mother. In recessive disorders, the condition does not appear unless a
- person inherits the same defective gene for the same trait from each parent.
- If one receives one normal gene and one gene for the disease, the person will
- be a carrier for the disease, but usually will show no symptoms. The risk of
- transmitting the disease to the children of a couple, both of whom are
- carriers for a recessive disorder, is twenty-five percent. Fifty percent of
- their children will be carriers, but healthy as described above. Twenty-five
- percent of their children will receive both normal genes, one from each
- parent, and will be genetically normal.
-
- Affected Population
-
- Microvillus Inclusion Disease affects males and females in equal numbers. It
- is evident at birth or within seventy-two hours after birth.
-
- Related Disorders
-
- Symptoms of the following disorders can be similar to those of Microvillus
- Inclusion Disease. Comparisons may be useful for a differential diagnosis:
-
- Lactose Intolerance is a malabsorption syndrome which results from
- impaired absorption of a sugar found in milk (lactose). This nutrient are
- normally absorbed in the small bowel. Lactose Intolerance is characterized
- by diarrhea and abdominal distention causing stomach pain and gas
- (flatulence) occuring after ingestion of milk. A lack of one or more
- intestinal enzymes results in an inability to digest certain carbohydrates.
- Lactase, maltase, isomaltase, and sucrase usually split complex sugars into
- simple sugars. In patients with an intolerance for Lactose, the enzyme
- lactase which digests this sugar in the small bowel is lacking. (For more
- information on this disorder, choose "Lactose" as your search term in the
- Rare Disease Database).
-
- Familial Chloride Diarrhea is a malabsorption syndrome of autosomal
- recessive inheritance. This disorder is apparent during the first few weeks
- of life and is characterized by an abnormally large number of watery stools
- containing an excess of chloride. Infants born with this disorder are often
- premature.
-
- Infantile Diarrhea with Abnormal Hair is another malabsorption syndrome
- of autosomal recessive inheritance. The disorder usually develops around the
- third week of life with a rapidly progressive course. It is characterized by
- severe unexplained diarrhea, low birth weight and large, low-set, simple
- ears, flat nasal bridge, and large mouth. Black, kinky hair that easily
- falls out and a lack of normal amino acids is another feature of this
- syndrome.
-
- Congenital Sodium Diarrhea is inherited as a recessive genetic trait. It
- occurs as a result of a defective sodium exchange in the bowels. The
- disorder is usually present at birth and is characterized by profuse watery
- diarrhea and a swollen abdomen.
-
- Therapies: Standard
-
- Treatment of Microvillus Inclusion Disease is accomplished through
- intravenous feeding. There may be long-term complications of the intravenous
- feeding such as: blood poisoning (septicemia), liver failure (cirrhosis), and
- gallbladder disorders that affect children with Microvillus Inclusion
- Disease. Therefore, the affected child must be carefully monitored by a
- physician. Other treatment of Microvillus Inclusion Disease is symptomatic
- and supportive. Genetic counseling will be of benefit for patients and their
- families.
-
- Therapies: Investigational
-
- Scientists have been testing an analogue of somatostatin (Sandostatin) for
- treatment of prolonged diarrhea. It shows some promise in decreasing the
- amount of diarrhea which results in excessive loss of fluid (dehydration).
-
- This disease entry is based upon medical information available through
- December 1989. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to
- keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and
- accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for
- the most current information about this disorder.
-
- Resources
-
- For more information on Microvillus Inclusion Disease, please contact:
-
- National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
- P.O. Box 8923
- New Fairfield, CT 06812-1783
- (203) 746-6518
-
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
- Box NDDIC
- Bethesda, MD 20892
- (301) 468-6344
-
- For genetic information and genetic counseling referrals:
-
- March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
- 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue
- White Plains, NY 10605
- (914) 428-7100
-
- Alliance of Genetic Support Groups
- 35 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 440
- Chevy Chase, MD 20815
- (800) 336-GENE
- (301) 652-5553
-
- References
-
- MICROVILLUS INCLUSION DISEASE: AN INHERITED DEFECT OF BRUSH-BORDER
- ASSEMBLY AND DIFFERENTIATION, E. Cutz, et al.; New Eng J of Med, (March, 9,
- 1989, issue 320 (10)). Pp. 646-651.
-
- BIOCHEMICAL ABNORMALITY IN BRUSH BORDER MEMBRANE PROTEIN OF A PATIENT
- WITH CONGENITAL MICROVILLUS ATROPHY. L. Carruthers, et al.; J Pediatr
- Gastroenterol Nutr (December, 1985, issue 4 (6)). Pp. 902-907.
-
- MICROVILLUS INCLUSION DISEASE: SPECIFIC DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES SHOWN BY
- ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE HISTOCHEMISTRY. B.D. Lake, J Clin Pathol (August, 1988,
- issue 41 (8)). Pp. 880-882.
-
-