National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

D-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria


Other Names:
D2HA; D-2-hydroxyglutaric acidemia; D-2-HGA
Categories:
This disease is grouped under:
D-2-alpha hydroxyglutaric aciduria is an inherited metabolic condition that is associated with progressive brain damage. Signs and symptoms of this condition include developmental delay, seizures, hypotonia, and abnormalities in the largest part of the brain (the cerebrum), which controls many important functions such as muscle movement, speech, vision, thinking, emotion, and memory. D-2-alpha hydroxyglutaric aciduria is caused by changes (mutations) in the D2HGDH gene and is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner.[1][2] Treatment is focused on alleviating the signs and symptoms of the condition, such as medications to control seizures.[3]
Last updated: 10/28/2015

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Urinary organic acid screening does not allow differentiation between L-2-hydroxygluratic acid and D-2-hydroxyglutaric acid. Therefore, this differentiation has to be performed subsequently by a specialized laboratory.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on D-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

In-Depth Information

  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) lists the subtypes and associated genes for D-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria in a table called Phenotypic Series. Each entry in OMIM includes a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss D-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.

  1. 2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria. Genetics Home Reference. August 2013; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/2-hydroxyglutaric-aciduria.
  2. D-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria-1. OMIM. October 2015; http://www.omim.org/entry/600721.
  3. Struys EA. D-2-Hydroxyglutaric aciduria: unravelling the biochemical pathway and the genetic defect. J Inherit Metab Dis. 2006 Feb;29(1):21-9. February 2006; 29(1):21-29.