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

Wolman disease



Are there any new therapies for Wolman disease? Is it curable? How can I find clinical trials and research studies?


What is Wolman disease?

Wolman disease is a congenital disease characterized by an impaired metabolism of the fats (lipids).  It is the most severe type of lysosomal acid lipase deficiency.[1] The lysomal acid lipase deficiency causes a buildup of lipids (fats) in body organs and calcium deposits in the adrenal glands. Common symptoms in infants include enlarged liver and spleen, poor weight gain, low muscle tone, jaundice, vomiting, diarrhea, developmental delay, anemia, and poor absorption of nutrients from food. Wolman disease is caused by mutations in the LIPA gene which provides instructions to make the lysosomal acid lipase.  Inheritance is  autosomal recessive.[2] The disease is severe and life-threatening, however enzyme replacement therapy, available for the treatment of lysosomal acid lipase deficiencies, in the United States, the European Union, and Japan, have shown improvement of symptoms, including liver problems, as well as an increased life expectancy.[3]  Liver transplantation can be considered in some cases when the liver disease is severe. Reports of treatment with bone marrow transplantation have shown mixed results, correcting the metabolic disease in a few cases, but not in others.[1][4]
Last updated: 10/19/2017

Is Wolman disease curable?

While there is not a universal cure for all individuals with Wolman disease, some therapeutic options have resulted in correction of the underlying disease process. Studies have shown that children with Wolman disease have had successful early treatment with transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCT) and umbilical cord stem cells.[5][6] The use of HSCT is controversial as it can be associated with complications. More studies are needed to determine the overall efficacy of these treatment options.[1]
Last updated: 6/2/2016

How can I find clinical trials enrolling individuals with Wolman disease?

There may be several clinical trials enrolling individuals with Wolman disease. Visit our page on getting involved in research to learn more about where to start, how to find patient registries and biobanks, and how to get involved in research. 
Last updated: 6/2/2016

How can I find transplant centers that are treating children with Wolman disease?

BMT InfoNet, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing transplant patients and their loved ones with emotional support and information, provides a searchable list of transplant centers. Click on the "BMT InfoNet" link in the previous sentence to find a list of transplant centers that are treating children with Wolman disease. 
Last updated: 6/2/2016

Are other therapies for Wolman disease being investigated?

Yes. Manufactured lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) enzyme have been aproved for use [7] and gene therapy and stem cell treatment is under investigation.[4] Please visit the FDA website to learn more about current enzyme replacement therapy: FDA approves first drug to treat a rare enzyme disorder in pediatric and adult patients.
Last updated: 4/2/2016

How can I find additional comprehensive information on the treatment of Wolman disease?

You can find relevant journal articles on Wolman syndrome and its treatment through a service called PubMed, a searchable database of medical literature. Information on finding an article and its title, authors, and publishing details is listed here. Some articles are available as a complete document, while information on other studies is available as a summary abstract. To obtain the full article, contact a medical/university library (or your local library for interlibrary loan), or order it online using the following link. Using "Wolman syndrome[ti] treatment" as your search term should locate articles. To narrow your search, click on the “Limits” tab under the search box and specify your criteria for locating more relevant articles. Click here to view a search.  

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Web site has a page for locating libraries in your area that can provide direct access to these journals (print or online). The Web page also describes how you can get these articles through interlibrary loan and Loansome Doc (an NLM document-ordering service). You can access this page at the following link http://nnlm.gov/members/. You can also contact the NLM toll-free at 888-346-3656 to locate libraries in your area.
Last updated: 6/2/2016

We hope this information is helpful. We strongly recommend you discuss this information with your doctor. If you still have questions, please contact us.

Warm regards,
GARD Information Specialist

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  1. Hoffman EP, Barr ML, Giovanni MA & Murray MF. Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency. GeneReviews. September 1 2016; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK305870/.
  2. Wolman disease. Genetics Home Reference. October 2007; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/wolman-disease.
  3. Erwin AL. The role of sebelipase alfa in the treatment of lysosomal acid lipase deficiency. Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology. 2017; 10(7):553-562. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5484437/.
  4. Kruer MC, Steiner RD. Lysosomal Storage Disease: Wolman Disease and Cholesteryl Ester Storage Disease. Medscape Reference. December 9 2015; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1182830-overview#a7.
  5. Tolar J, Petryk A, Khan K, Bjoraker KJ, Jessurun J, Dolan M, Kivisto T, Charnas L, Shapiro EG, Orchard PJ. Long-term metabolic, endocrine, and neuropsychological outcome of hematopoietic cell transplantation for Wolman disease. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2008 Sep 8;
  6. Stein J, Garty BZ, Dror Y, Fenig E, Zeigler M, Yaniv I. Successful treatment of Wolman disease by unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation. Eur J Pediatr. 2007 Jul;
  7. Du H, Cameron TL, Garger SJ, Pogue GP, Hamm LA, White E, Hanley KM, Grabowski GA. Wolman disease/cholesteryl ester storage disease: efficacy of plant-produced human lysosomal acid lipase in mice. J Lipid Res. 2008 Aug;