Abstract
Background:
The purpose of this study is to help elucidate which part of the mitochondria is causing a problem through anamnesis, physical examination, and routine biochemical tests in the event of a suspected mitochondrial disease case.
Methods:
The data were obtained retrospectively from the medical records of 75 cases; the mitochondrial-derived disease (MDD) cases were observed in our center from 2011 to 2017.
Results:
The most commonly observed MDDs were oxidative phosphorylation disorders at 44%, followed by fatty acid oxidation disorder at 40%, pyruvate metabolism disorder at 12%, and ketone metabolism disorder at 4%, respectively. The most common clinical presentation at the time of referral to the hospital was metabolic acidosis (20%), and the most common symptom was respiratory distress (24%). There were abnormal findings in 84.3% of the cases subjected to cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with the most common being hyperintensity in the bilateral basal ganglia (49.0%).
Conclusions:
Anamnesis, physical examination, and simple laboratory data could provide some important clues in assessing MDD. Blood gas should definitely be measured in cases with respiratory symptoms, particularly if they have a history of consanguineous marriage or a sibling suffering from a similar disease. If metabolic acidosis exists in the blood gas, MDDs should absolutely be included in the differential diagnosis. Furthermore, ophthalmic and cardiac assessment and cranial MRI will also reveal significant data for diagnosing MDDs.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: None declared.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.
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