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Thiamine responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome



Other Names:
Thiamine-responsive anemia syndrome; TRMA; Megaloblastic anemia thiamine-responsive with diabetes mellitus and sensorineural deafness; Thiamine-responsive anemia syndrome; TRMA; Megaloblastic anemia thiamine-responsive with diabetes mellitus and sensorineural deafness; Rogers syndrome; Thiamine-responsive myelodysplasia See More
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Thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome is a very rare condition characterized by hearing loss, diabetes, and a blood disorder called megaloblastic anemia. Affected individuals begin to show symptoms of this condition between infancy and adolescence. This syndrome is called "thiamine-responsive" because the anemia can be treated with high doses of vitamin B1 (thiamine). This condition is caused by mutations in the SLC19A2 gene and is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion.[1]
Last updated: 11/28/2011

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Anorexia 0002039
Diabetes mellitus 0000819
Diarrhea
Watery stool
0002014
Headache
Headaches
0002315
Lethargy 0001254
Megaloblastic anemia 0001889
Pallor 0000980
Paresthesia
Pins and needles feeling
Tingling
[ more ]
0003401
Sensorineural hearing impairment 0000407
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Optic atrophy 0000648
Thrombocytopenia
Low platelet count
0001873
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Ataxia 0001251
Atrial septal defect
An opening in the wall separating the top two chambers of the heart
Hole in heart wall separating two upper heart chambers
[ more ]
0001631
Cardiac arrest
Heart stops beating
0001695
Cardiomyopathy
Disease of the heart muscle
0001638
Congestive heart failure
Cardiac failure
Cardiac failures
Heart failure
[ more ]
0001635
Cryptorchidism
Undescended testes
Undescended testis
[ more ]
0000028
Gastroesophageal reflux
Acid reflux
Acid reflux disease
Heartburn
[ more ]
0002020
Global developmental delay 0001263
Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia 0006671
Retinal dystrophy
Breakdown of light-sensitive cells in back of eye
0000556
Seizure 0001250
Short stature
Decreased body height
Small stature
[ more ]
0004322
Situs inversus totalis
All organs on wrong side of body
0001696
Stroke 0001297
Ventricular septal defect
Hole in heart wall separating two lower heart chambers
0001629
Visual loss
Loss of vision
Vision loss
[ more ]
0000572
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormality of the skin 0000951
Aminoaciduria
High urine amino acid levels
Increased levels of animo acids in urine
[ more ]
0003355
Arrhythmia
Abnormal heart rate
Heart rhythm disorders
Irregular heart beat
Irregular heartbeat
[ more ]
0011675
Autosomal recessive inheritance 0000007
Cone/cone-rod dystrophy 0000548
Hoarse voice
Hoarseness
Husky voice
[ more ]
0001609
Nystagmus
Involuntary, rapid, rhythmic eye movements
0000639
Retinal degeneration
Retina degeneration
0000546
Sideroblastic anemia 0001924
Thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia 0004860
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

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
Differential diagnosis includes Wolfram syndrome, mitochondrial disorders such as Kearns-Sayre syndrome and Pearson syndrome (see these terms), as well as dietary vitamin B12 or folate deficiency.
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

Organizations Providing General Support


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 Thiamine responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
  • The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has a report for patients and families about this condition. NORD is a patient advocacy organization for individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them.

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has 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 Thiamine responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome. 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. Thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome. Genetics Home Reference. February 2009; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/thiamine-responsive-megaloblastic-anemia-syndrome. Accessed 11/28/2011.