Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency is a disorder characterized by a wide range of severity, with neurological problems in some individuals and no signs or symptoms in others.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency is caused by mutations in the DPYD gene. This gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, which is involved in the breakdown of molecules called uracil and thymine. Uracil and thymine are pyrimidines, which are one type of nucleotide. Nucleotides are building blocks of DNA, its chemical cousin RNA, and molecules such as ATP and GTP that serve as energy sources in the cell.

Severe dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency, with its early-onset neurological symptoms, is a rare disorder. Its prevalence is unknown. However, between 2 and 8 percent of the general population may be vulnerable to toxic reactions to fluoropyrimidine drugs caused by otherwise asymptomatic dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. Depending on the severity of these mutations, people with two mutated copies of the DPYD gene in each cell may exhibit the signs and symptoms of this disorder, or they may be generally asymptomatic but at risk for toxic reactions to fluoropyrimidine drugs.

Published Date: September 01, 2015Published By: National Institutes of Health