3. Von Gierke's Glycogen Storage Disease - Type I

Von Gierke's Glycogen Storage Disease

This PatientPlus article is written for healthcare professionals so the language may be more technical than the condition leaflets. You may find the abbreviations list helpful.

Synonyms: von Gierke's syndrome, glycogen storage disorder type I

Von Gierke's disease (described by von Gierke in 1929) represents the largest group of glycogen storage disorders (GSD). There is an enzyme defect in glucose-6-phosphatase so that glucose-6-phosphate cannot be converted into free glucose but is metabolised to lactic acid or incorporated into glycogen.

  • The liver and kidney are involved and hypoglycaemia is a major feature.
  • Large quantities of glycogen are formed and stored in hepatocytes, renal and intestinal mucosa cells. The liver and kidneys become enlarged.
  • Abnormalities of lipids may lead to xanthoma formation.
  • Uric acid is often elevated and may cause clinical gout.
  • Galactose, fructose, and glycerol are metabolised to lactate. The elevated blood lactate levels cause metabolic acidosis.[1]

Type 1 GSD has been further divided into subgroups:

  • Glucose-6-phosphatase deficiency is the cause of type Ia and should not be confused with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.
  • There is a specific translocase deficiency in type Ib. Individuals with type lb also have altered neutrophil function predisposing them to Gram-positive bacterial infections.
  • Two other translocase deficiencies have been described to give types Ic and Id.

For practical purposes, there are two major forms. Type Ia has deficient glucose-6-phosphatase in the liver and type Ib has normal activity. The abnormality has been located on gene map locus 17q21 for type Ia and 11q23 for type Ib. Type Ic has been mapped to 11q23-q24.2 and type Id to 11q23-q24.[2]

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  • The condition is inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder.
  • There are no reliable estimates of the incidence but GSD I is unlikely to occur more frequently than 1 case in 50,000 infants.[3]

Presentation is usually soon after birth but can be a little later.

  • Shortly after birth, hypoglycaemia and lactic acidosis often cause convulsions.
  • More moderate hypoglycaemia can cause irritability, pallor, cyanosis, hypotonia, tremors, loss of consciousness, and apnoea.
  • Some children have diarrhoea due to pseudocolitis.
  • There is a characteristic rounded 'doll's face' due to deposition of fat.
  • During the first weeks of life the liver is normal in size but it enlarges, sometimes very considerably to cause marked abdominal distension.
  • Growth is retarded and height is usually below the 3rd centile. Puberty is delayed but mental development is normal.
  • Skin and mucous membranes may show eruptive xanthomas or gouty tophi on the extensor surfaces of the extremities. Uric acid arthropathy can develop.
  • Altered platelet function can cause bleeding, especially epistaxis and this may result in iron deficiency anaemia.
  • Blood glucose and pH are usually low with elevated lactate, uric acid, triglyceride and cholesterol.
  • Renal function tests: creatinine and urea may be raised if renal function is impaired.
  • FBC: anaemia; patients with type Ib may have neutropenia as a result of frequent bacterial infections.
  • Lactic acidosis may simply be suggested by a high anion gap when electrolytes are measured.
  • Older patients may show anaemia, neutropenia and proteinuria or at least microalbuminuria.

Special tests[3]

  • Ultrasound should be used to assess and monitor the size of liver and kidneys and to detect possible hepatic adenomas and nephrocalcinosis.
  • Glucagon does not cause a rise in glucose levels, but it does raise lactic acid levels.
  • Oral galactose and fructose fail to increase glucose levels but plasma lactic acid levels increase.
  • Glucose tolerance test progressively lowers lactic acid levels over several hours.
  • Bone density measurement may be useful to detect osteopenia.

Tissue diagnosis

  • Definitive diagnosis involves assessment of glucose-6-phosphatase activity in fresh and frozen liver tissue specimens. To assess translocases, an open surgical liver biopsy is needed to obtain an adequate specimen.
  • Histology shows increased amounts of normal glycogen, as well as fatty infiltration of the liver.
  • Kidneys show glomerular hypertrophy. There is glomerulosclerosis, and renal failure is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.[4]

Diet and lifestyle

  • The main aim of treatment is to correct hypoglycaemia and maintain normoglycaemia:
    • Young infants require continuous nasogastric tube feeding.
    • Older infants and children eat raw cornstarch to give slow release of glucose by day but nasogastric feeding by night is still required to prevent hypoglycaemia and associated metabolic problems.
    • It is thought likely that preventing hypoglycaemia, which is a particular problem at night, will reduce complications.[5]
  • Intake of fructose and galactose should be restricted, as they do not increase glucose levels, but do increase lactic acid.
  • Restriction of lipids is advised but statins are not used.
  • Physical activity does not have to be restricted but rough games and contact sports should be avoided because of the bleeding tendency and the risk of rupture to an enlarged liver.

Drugs and surgery

  • Blood loss may require oral iron.
  • Raised uric acid levels may require allopurinol. Treatment of hyperuricaemia and pyelonephritis protects renal function.
  • Diazoxide to maintain blood glucose has been disappointing.
  • Liver transplantation for primary disease or for hepatocellular carcinoma seems effective, although the immunosuppression may cause deterioration of renal function.[6]
  • Transplantation of hepatocytes appears to have had only temporary benefit.[7]
  • Acute hypoglycaemia may be fatal or cause brain damage.
  • Prolonged hypoglycaemia and metabolic acidosis may cause cerebral oedema.
  • Elevated uric acid causes a decrease in the glomerular function with proteinuria, haematuria, hypertension and chronic kidney disease. Incomplete distal tubular acidosis sometimes causes hypercalciuria, nephrocalcinosis and renal stones.
  • Chronic metabolic lactic acidosis and changes in the proximal renal tubule cells can cause osteopenia and rickets with severe skeletal deformities or fractures.
  • Patients with type Ib are susceptible to bacterial infections, including those of the CNS. Frequent infections in type Ib require intravenous antibiotics to control infections.
  • Short stature.
  • Hyperlipidaemia.
  • Hepatic adenomas usually develop in late teens and require careful follow-up in case of transformation to hepatocellular carcinoma, although some tumours are embryonic hepatoblastomas. Older children and young adults require ultrasound assessment of the liver at least once a year. Although there is substantial morbidity, partial hepatectomy may be an effective intermediate step to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma until definitive treatment with liver transplantation is possible.[8]
  • Liver transplantation is a final resort when conservative measures have failed or with malignant change of hepatic adenomas. It can improve quality of life with metabolic control and permit a 'catch-up' in growth but it does not prevent renal disease.[9] Long-term follow-up after liver transplantation shows excellent graft and patient survival.[10]
  • Survival to adulthood was previously rare but is now quite frequent.
  • Early death is usually caused by acute metabolic complications of hypoglycaemia or acidosis, bleeding and, in patients with type Ib, infections are a problem. Improving care and treatment have reduced the early mortality.
  • Chronic kidney disease, hypertension or malignant change of hepatic adenomas may cause mortality in adolescents and young adults.
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Further reading & references

  1. Cohen JL, Vinik A, Faller J, et al; Hyperuricemia in glycogen storage disease type I. Contributions by hypoglycemia and hyperglucagonemia to increased urate production. J Clin Invest. 1985 Jan;75(1):251-7.
  2. Glycogen Storage Diseases, Type I, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM)
  3. Roth KS; Glycogen-Storage Disease Type I, Medscape, Aug 2009
  4. Chen YT, Coleman RA, Scheinman JI, et al; Renal disease in type I glycogen storage disease. N Engl J Med. 1988 Jan 7;318(1):7-11.
  5. Greene HL, Slonim AE, O'Neill JA Jr, et al; Greene HL, Slonim AE, O'Neill JA Jr, et al; Continuous nocturnal intragastric feeding for management of type 1 glycogen-storage disease. N Engl J Med. 1976 Feb 19;294(8):423-5.
  6. Kaihara S, Ushigome H, Sakai K, et al; Preemptive living donor liver transplantation in glycogen storage disease Ia: Transplant Proc. 2008 Oct;40(8):2815-7.
  7. Muraca M, Burlina AB; Liver and liver cell transplantation for glycogen storage disease type IA. Acta Gastroenterol Belg. 2005 Oct-Dec;68(4):469-72.
  8. Reddy SK, Kishnani PS, Sullivan JA, et al; Resection of hepatocellular adenoma in patients with glycogen storage disease J Hepatol. 2007 Nov;47(5):658-63. Epub 2007 Jun 18.
  9. Reddy SK, Austin SL, Spencer-Manzon M, et al; Liver transplantation for glycogen storage disease type Ia. J Hepatol. 2009 Sep;51(3):483-90. Epub 2009 Jun 17.
  10. Iyer SG, Chen CL, Wang CC, et al; Long-term results of living donor liver transplantation for glycogen storage Liver Transpl. 2007 Jun;13(6):848-52.
Original Author: Dr Colin Tidy Current Version: Peer Reviewer: Prof Cathy Jackson
Last Checked: 28/09/2011 Document ID: 2926  Version: 22 © EMIS

Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. EMIS has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details see our conditions.