Question: What is (are) Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome ?
Answer: Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy (MNGIE) syndrome is a condition that particularly affects the digestive system and nervous system. Signs and symptoms of this condition most often begin by age 20 and worsen with time. Almost all people with MNGIE have gastrointestinal dysmotility, in which the muscles and nerves of the digestive system do not move food through the digestive tract efficiently. Affected individuals also experience peripheral neuropathy, droopy eyelids (ptosis), weakness of the muscles that control eye movement (ophthalmoplegia), and hearing loss. Leukoencephalopathy, which is the deterioration of a type of brain tissue known as white matter, is a hallmark of MNGIE; however it does not usually cause symptoms in people with this disorder. Mutations in the TYMP gene cause MNGIE, and this condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.
Source: GARD

Question: What are the symptoms of Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome ?
Answer: What are the signs and symptoms of Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome? The Human Phenotype Ontology provides the following list of signs and symptoms for Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome. 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) Abdominal pain - Areflexia - Autosomal recessive inheritance - Cachexia - Constipation - Death in early adulthood - Decreased activity of cytochrome C oxidase in muscle tissue - Distal amyotrophy - Distal muscle weakness - Distal sensory impairment - Gastrointestinal dysmotility - Gastroparesis - Hypointensity of cerebral white matter on MRI - Intermittent diarrhea - Lactic acidosis - Leukoencephalopathy - Malabsorption - Malnutrition - Mitochondrial myopathy - Multiple mitochondrial DNA deletions - Progressive - Progressive external ophthalmoplegia - Ptosis - Ragged-red muscle fibers - Sensorineural hearing impairment - Subsarcolemmal accumulations of abnormally shaped mitochondria - Vomiting - 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: How to diagnose Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome ?
Answer: How might mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome be diagnosed? The clinical diagnosis of mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome (MNGIE) is based on the presence of severe gastrointestinal dysmotility (when the muscles and nerves of the digestive system do not move food through the digestive tract efficiently), cachexia (wasting away of muscle and fat tissue), ptosis, external ophthalmoplegia (weakness in the muscles that control eye movement), sensorimotor neuropathy, asymptomatic leukoencephalopathy (observed on brain MRI), and a family history consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance. Direct evidence of MNGIE syndrome can be provided by one of the following: A blood test showing an increase in plasma thymidine concentration (greater than 3 mol/L) and an increase in plasma deoxyuridine concentration (greater than 5 mol/L). This is sufficient to make the diagnosis of MNGIE disease. Thymidine phosphorylase enzyme activity in leukocytes (white blood cells) less than 10% of the control mean. Genetic testing of TYMP, the gene for thymidine phosphorylase (the enzyme deficient in individuals with MNGIE syndrome), detects mutations in approximately all of affected individuals.
Source: GARD

Question: What are the treatments for Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome ?
Answer: How might mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome be treated? References John M Shoffner. Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalopathy Disease. GeneReviews. May 11, 2010; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1179/. Accessed 3/27/2011.
Source: GARD