Can you get mitochondrial disease later in life?
Mitochondrial diseases can present at any age and with symptoms in any organ system, including the central nervous system, visual system, and neuromuscular system. Neurological manifestations include encephalopathy, cognitive regression, seizures, and peripheral neuropathy.
How does mitochondrial disease affect a person’s life?
Mitochondrial disease can cause a vast array of health concerns, including fatigue, weakness, metabolic strokes, seizures, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, developmental or cognitive disabilities, diabetes mellitus, impairment of hearing, vision, growth, liver, gastrointestinal, or kidney function, and more.
What are some of the symptoms or problems experienced by patients with mitochondrial disease?
Symptoms of mitochondrial diseases can include:
- Poor growth.
- Muscle weakness, muscle pain, low muscle tone, exercise intolerance.
- Vision and/or hearing problems.
- Learning disabilities, delays in development.
- Autism spectrum disorder.
- Heart, liver or kidney diseases.
Is Fibromyalgia a mitochondrial disease?
Mitochondrial dysfunction is thought of as a real possibility in chronic fatigue syndrome, but I’ve rarely associated it with fibromyalgia or pain. It turns out, however, that multiple studies – most of them small – suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction could indeed play a significant role in fibromyalgia.
How do you test for mitochondrial dysfunction?
Genetic testing is essential for the diagnosis of mitochondrial diseases. Next generation sequencing with gene dosage of nDNA and mtDNA in blood or affected tissues (muscle, buccal swab, urine sediment, liver biopsy) is recommended over testing for specific point mutations in cases of suspected mitochondrial disease.
What are two disorders recognized as mitochondrial diseases?
Common clinical features of mitochondrial disorders include ptosis, external ophthalmoplegia, proximal myopathy and exercise intolerance, cardiomyopathy, sensorineural deafness, optic atrophy, pigmentary retinopathy, and diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus and deafness is also a well-recognized clinical phenotype.