[Psychotic syndrome developing into dementia as a clinical manifestation of mitochondrial DNA deletion]

Abstract

The manifestations of mitochondrial disease are variable, affecting more frequently the organs with high aerobic metabolism in which they are more abundant, for example the nervous system. The beginning of symptoms in general is observed at childhood, but some patients presented on adult age. We present an atypical case associated with mitochondrial DNA deletion. A 39-years-old man with psychiatric symptoms that configured initial clinical picture and only after 12 years of the beginning of symptoms neurological alterations became noticeable. The diagnosis of mitochondrial illness was confirmed by muscle biopsy being documented mitochondrial DNA deletion.