Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for late-infantile Krabbe disease.

Krabbe disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by a deficiency in galactocerebrosidase. The only effective treatment is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Approximately 85% of Krabbe disease cases are the infantile subtypes, among which ∼20% are late infantile. Prior studies have demonstrated that HSCT is effective for early-infantile patients (0-6 months of age) who undergo transplantation while asymptomatic, compared with those receiving transplants while symptomatic. However, no studies evaluated the efficacy of HSCT for late-infantile patients (6-36 months). In this prospective, longitudinal study, patients were evaluated at a single site according to a standardized protocol. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences between groups were estimated using mixed regression models to account for within-person repeated measures. Nineteen late-infantile patients underwent HSCT (March 1997 to January 2020). Compared with untreated patients, transplant recipients had a longer survival probability and improved cognitive and language function. Gross and fine motor development were most affected, with variable results. Asymptomatic patients benefitted the most from transplantation, with normal to near-normal development in all domains and some gross motor delays. Among symptomatic patients, those with disease onset at >12 months of age had better cognitive outcomes than untreated patients. Those with disease onset at ≤12 months were comparable to untreated patients. We found that HSCT prolonged the lifespan and improved the functional abilities of late-infantile patients with Krabbe disease, particularly those who underwent transplantation before onset of symptoms. In addition, our findings support prior literature that reclassifies late-infantile Krabbe disease to be symptom onset at 12 to 36 months of age.

General anesthesia safety in progressive leukodystrophies: A retrospective study of patients with Krabbe disease and metachromatic leukodystrophy.

BACKGROUND: Krabbe disease and metachromatic leukodystrophy are leukodystrophies characterized by neurologic degeneration and early death. Patients often require general anesthesia for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted for patients with Krabbe disease and metachromatic leukodystrophy receiving general anesthesia at a large children's hospital between 2012 and 2017. Patient complications and American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status were recorded for all procedures. The Neurodevelopment in Rare Disorders classification system was created to categorize the severity of the patient's disease progression based on clinical markers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare: (a) complication rate of affected patients vs the general hospital population; (b) the accuracy of the novel Neurodevelopment in Rare Disorders classification system vs American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status regarding the assessment of complication risk; (c) complication rate in patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation vs those without transplantation; (d) complication rate in immunosuppressed patients vs nonimmunosuppressed patients; and (e) complication rate of the three most commonly performed procedures. RESULTS: A total of 96 patients underwent 287 procedures. Of these, 11 cases had complications, yielding a rate of 3.8%. This is significantly higher than the overall complication rate at our institution of 0.246%. Statistical analysis showed better correlation between the Neurodevelopment in Rare Disorders classification system and complication rate than American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status and complication rate. The system also showed better accuracy in differentiating low-risk and high-risk patients. No statistically significant difference in complication rate was found for patients with transplantation vs those without transplantation or for immunosuppressed vs nonimmunosuppressed patients. Of the three most common procedures, central catheter placement/removal exhibited the highest complication rate. CONCLUSIONS: Although the complication rate for patients with Krabbe disease and metachromatic leukodystrophy is higher than the general population, most complications were mild and self-limiting. These results suggest that, in experienced hands, general anesthesia is well tolerated in most children. Findings show that the Neurodevelopment in Rare Disorders classification system is a better indicator for assessing complication risk in patients with Krabbe and metachromatic leukodystrophy than American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status.

A prospective natural history study of Krabbe disease in a patient cohort with onset between 6 months and 3 years of life.

BACKGROUND: Krabbe disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by a deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme galactocerebrosidase. Patients with Krabbe disease present with a variable disease course depending on their age of onset. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to characterize the natural progression of Krabbe disease in a large group of patients with disease onset between 6 and 36 months of life who were evaluated with a standardized protocol. METHODS: All patients with Krabbe disease who had onset between 6 and 36 months of age and were prospectively evaluated between 2000 to 2017 were included. Standardized neurodevelopmental, physical, and neurological examinations were performed. Other assessments included neuroradiologic and neurophysiologic tests, enzyme level, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and GALC pathogenic variants when available. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Survival curve was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (26 boys, 9 girls) with disease onset between 6 and 36 months of age were evaluated. Median age at symptom onset was 11.5 months, with a median delay of 3.5 months between onset of symptoms and diagnosis. Of the 32 symptomatic patients, 23 presented with initial signs or symptoms of disease between 6 and 12 months of life; nine presented after 12 months. The most common initial signs and symptoms were loss of acquired developmental milestones, irritability, abnormal gait, motor delay, and abnormal muscle tone. The most common magnetic resonance imaging abnormality was increased T2 signal in the periventricular white matter. Nerve conduction velocity results were abnormal for 21 of 24 patients. Patients with onset after 12 months had less peripheral nerve involvement and slower disease progression. Abnormal cerebrospinal fluid protein levels were obtained for 13 of 16 symptomatic children. Protein levels were normal in all asymptomatic children. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, we propose reclassifying the group of patients with onset ≤12 months as infantile and the > 12 month group as late-infantile. Patients with onset > 12 months are more likely to benefit from hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The proposed change in classifications will allow physicians to improve their ability to recognize and diagnose patients and more precisely assess potential treatment effects after transplantation.