Saccharopinuria

The following summary is from Orphanet, a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs.

Saccharopinuria is a disorder of lysine metabolism associated with hyperlysinaemia and lysinuria.

The prevalence is unknown.

The few patients with saccharopinuria have been investigated largely because of neurological problems including spastic diplegia but the relationship between the saccharopinuria and these is unclear.

It is caused by a deficiency in the bifunctional enzyme alpha-aminoadipate semialdehyde synthase, encoded by the AASS gene (located at 7q31.3). This enzyme has both lysine-ketoglutarate reductase (LKR) and saccharopine dehydrogenase (SDH) activity, and catalyses the first two steps of lysine degradation. In saccharopinuria, deficiency of the LKR activity is only partial.

Saccharopinuria is an autosomal recessive disorder.

There is no specific treatment for the disease but a low lysine diet may be beneficial in some cases.

Visit the Orphanet disease page for more resources.

Last updated: 10/1/2006

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