The mucopolysaccharide storage disorders are progressive and vary widely in severity. All MPs children tend to have coarse facial features. All of them have, in some degree, skeletal involvement. In most children this involves joint changes with limitation of movement. In all of the MPs disorders, multiple organs are involved.
Several children have clouding of the cornea which leads to vision impairment.
Enlargement of the liver and spleen and involvement of the heart and blood vessels are frequent symptoms. Progressive mental retardation is present in some children, as well as umbilical and groin hernias, stunted growth, fluid on the brain, thickened skin, excessive hair growth, chronic runny nose, chronic ear infections causing hearing loss, and a projected life expectancy of ten to twenty years. Diagnosis and Treatment A doctor bases the diagnosis on the symptoms. Mucopolysaccharidoses can also be diagnosed before birth using amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling , in which samples are removed and screened for abnormal enzyme activity. Following birth, the child's urine can be screened, which, along with blood and other tests, can identify the presence of excess mucopolysaccharides.