[Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy disease]

Abstract

Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy disease (MNGIE) is a rare autosomal-recessive syndrome, resulting from mutations in the TYMP gene, located at 22q13. The mutation induces a thymidine phosphorylase (TP) deficit, which leads to a nucleotide pool imbalance and to instability of the mitochondrial DNA. The clinical picture regroups gastrointestinal dysmotility, cachexia, ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, peripheral neuropathy, and asymptomatic leukoencephalopathy. The prognosis is unfavorable. We present the case of a 14-year-old Caucasian female whose symptoms started in early childhood. The diagnosis was suspected after magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), performed given the atypical features of mental anorexia, which revealed white matter abnormalities. She presented chronic vomiting, postprandial abdominal pain, and problems gaining weight accompanied by cachexia. This diagnosis led to establishing proper care, in particular an enteral and parenteral nutrition program. There is no known specific effective treatment, but numerous studies are in progress. In this article, after reviewing the existing studies, we discuss the main diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of the disease. We argue for the necessity of performing a cerebral MRI given the atypical features of a patient with suspected mental anorexia (or when the clinical pattern of a patient with mental anorexia seems atypical), so that MNGIE can be ruled out.