Question: What is (are) Metachromatic leukodystrophy ?
Answer: Metachromatic leukodystrophy is an inherited condition characterized by the accumulation of fats called sulfatides in cells, especially cells of the nervous system. This accumulation results in progressive destruction of white matter of the brain, which consists of nerve fibers covered by myelin. Affected individuals experience progressive deterioration of intellectual functions and motor skills, such as the ability to walk. They also develop loss of sensation in the extremities, incontinence, seizures, paralysis, inability to speak, blindness, and hearing loss. Eventually they lose awareness of their surroundings and become unresponsive. This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern and is caused by mutations in the ARSA and PSAP genes.
Source: GARD

Question: What are the symptoms of Metachromatic leukodystrophy ?
Answer: What are the signs and symptoms of Metachromatic leukodystrophy? The Human Phenotype Ontology provides the following list of signs and symptoms for Metachromatic leukodystrophy. If the information is available, the table below includes how often the symptom is seen in people with this condition. You can use the MedlinePlus Medical Dictionary to look up the definitions for these medical terms. Signs and Symptoms Approximate number of patients (when available) Behavioral abnormality 90% Cognitive impairment 90% Decreased nerve conduction velocity 90% Developmental regression 90% Gait disturbance 90% Genu recurvatum 90% Incoordination 90% Muscle weakness 90% Neurological speech impairment 90% Peripheral neuropathy 90% Reduced consciousness/confusion 90% Seizures 90% Amaurosis fugax 50% Hyperreflexia 50% Hypertonia 50% Limitation of joint mobility 50% Muscular hypotonia 50% Nystagmus 50% Optic atrophy 50% Aganglionic megacolon 7.5% Ataxia - Autosomal recessive inheritance - Babinski sign - Bulbar palsy - Cholecystitis - Chorea - Delusions - Dysarthria - Dystonia - EMG: neuropathic changes - Emotional lability - Gallbladder dysfunction - Hallucinations - Hyporeflexia - Increased CSF protein - Intellectual disability - Loss of speech - Mental deterioration - Peripheral demyelination - Progressive peripheral neuropathy - Spastic tetraplegia - Tetraplegia - Urinary incontinence - The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) has collected information on how often a sign or symptom occurs in a condition. Much of this information comes from Orphanet, a European rare disease database. The frequency of a sign or symptom is usually listed as a rough estimate of the percentage of patients who have that feature. The frequency may also be listed as a fraction. The first number of the fraction is how many people had the symptom, and the second number is the total number of people who were examined in one study. For example, a frequency of 25/25 means that in a study of 25 people all patients were found to have that symptom. Because these frequencies are based on a specific study, the fractions may be different if another group of patients are examined. Sometimes, no information on frequency is available. In these cases, the sign or symptom may be rare or common.
Source: GARD

Question: Is Metachromatic leukodystrophy inherited ?
Answer: How is metachromatic leukodystrophy inherited? Metachromatic leukodystrophy is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. This means that both copies of the disease-causing gene in each cell must have a mutation for an individual to be affected. Individuals inherit two copies of each gene - one copy from each parent. Typically, an individual is affected because they inherited a mutated copy of the gene from each parent. Individuals with one mutated copy of the gene (such as an unaffected parent of an affected individual) are referred to as carriers; carriers typically do not have any signs or symptoms of the condition. When two carriers of an autosomal recessive condition have children, each child has a 25% (1 in 4) chance to have the condition, a 50% (1 in 2) chance to be a carrier like each of the parents, and a 25% chance to not have the condition and not be a carrier.
Source: GARD