Question: What are the symptoms of Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis ?
Answer: What are the signs and symptoms of Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis? The symptoms associated cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis are listed below, including the typical age when each symptom appears. Chronic diarrhea (infancy) Cataracts (early childhood) Mental impairment (infancy or at puberty) Xanthomas (adolescents to early adulthood) Dementia with slow deterioration in intellectual abilities (early adulthood) Spasticity (early adulthood) Cerebellar signs such as intention tremor, difficulty with fast hand movements, nystagmus, truncal ataxia, and rhomberg's sign) (early adulthood) Behavioral changes (early adulthood) Hallucinations (early adulthood) Agitation (early adulthood) Aggression (early adulthood) Depression (early adulthood) Suicide attempt (early adulthood) Other symptoms may include dystonia, atypical parkinsonism, seizures, and peripheral neuropathy. The Human Phenotype Ontology provides the following list of signs and symptoms for Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis. 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) Cataract 90% Cognitive impairment 90% Involuntary movements 90% Multiple lipomas 90% Abnormal pyramidal signs 50% Abnormality of extrapyramidal motor function 50% Developmental regression 50% Hallucinations 50% Hyperreflexia 50% Hypertonia 50% Muscle weakness 50% Neurological speech impairment 50% Peripheral neuropathy 50% Tremor 50% Abnormality of the liver 7.5% Cerebral calcification 7.5% EEG abnormality 7.5% Limitation of joint mobility 7.5% Malabsorption 7.5% Nephrolithiasis 7.5% Seizures 7.5% Abnormality of central somatosensory evoked potentials - Abnormality of cholesterol metabolism - Abnormality of the dentate nucleus - Abnormality of the periventricular white matter - Angina pectoris - Ataxia - Autosomal recessive inheritance - Cerebellar atrophy - Cerebral atrophy - Cholelithiasis - Delusions - Dementia - Diarrhea - EEG with generalized slow activity - EMG: axonal abnormality - Intellectual disability - Myocardial infarction - Optic disc pallor - Osteoporosis - Pseudobulbar paralysis - Respiratory insufficiency - Spasticity - Tendon xanthomatosis - Xanthelasma - 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: What causes Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis ?
Answer: What causes cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis? Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis is caused by mutations in the CYP27A1 gene. This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.
Source: GARD

Question: How to diagnose Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis ?
Answer: Is genetic testing available for cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis? Yes, testing of the CYP27A1 gene is available. The Genetic Testing Registry provides information on clinical and research tests available for this condition. How is cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis diagnosed? Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis is diagnosed by a combination of clinical features, cholestanol levels, and genetic testing. Individuals with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis have high levels of cholestanol in their blood. Genetic testing of the CYP27A1 gene is also available and can detect mutations in about 98% of patients.
Source: GARD

Question: What are the treatments for Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis ?
Answer: How might cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis be treated? Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis may be treated with chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), which has been shown to normalize levels of cholestonal and improve neurologic symptoms. Inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase may be used alone or in combination with CDCA. They are also effective in decreasing cholestanol concentration and improving clinical symptoms, however these treatments can induce muscle damage. Coenzyme Q10 may improve muscle weakness, and cataract surgery may also be required.
Source: GARD