Uncommon case of type II glycogenosis

Abstract

The authors report an uncommon case of type II glycogenosis. An 8-year-old boy developed a slow progressive myopathy. Biopsy of skeletal muscle showed scarce lesions under the optic microscope but in 50% of the fibers the presence of vacuoles filled with glycogen under the electron microscope. Ultrastructural analysis of fibroblasts in culture showed numerous vacuoles filled with glycogen, characteristic of type II glycogenosis. Enzymatic analysis revealed that acid-alpha-glucosidase activity was normal in muscle tissues but deeply deficient in leukocytes and fibroblasts in culture. This is, as far as we know, the first case with such a discrepancy in the distribution of the enzymatic activity, and it underlines the necessity of investigating several tissues in atypical cases.