Fucosidosis is a condition that affects many areas of the body, especially the brain. The symptoms of fucosidosis can vary from person to person. Affected individuals have intellectual disabilities that worsen with age. Over time, people with this condition tend to lose skills they had previously learned, such as sitting, standing, walking, or talking. Additional signs and symptoms of fucosidosis can include slow growth, abnormal bone development (dysostosis multiplex), and rigid or stiff muscles (spasticity). People with fucosidosis may also have clusters of enlarged blood vessels that form small, dark red spots on the skin (angiokeratomas) and distinctive facial features that are often described as "coarse." Additional features of fucosidosis can include frequent respiratory infections, an enlarged liver and spleen (hepatosplenomegaly), and seizures.

Variants (also called mutations) in the FUCA1 gene cause fucosidosis. The FUCA1 gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called alpha-L-fucosidase. This enzyme plays a role in the breakdown of sugar molecules (oligosaccharides) that are attached to certain fats (glycolipids) and proteins (glycoproteins). Alpha-L-fucosidase is responsible for cutting off (cleaving) a sugar molecule called fucose toward the end of the breakdown process.

Fucosidosis is a rare condition. As of 2023, fewer than 200 cases have been reported in the literature. The highest incidence of fucosidosis has been described in Italy, Cuba, and in certain populations of the Southwestern United States.

This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell must have a variant to cause the disorder. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the altered gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.

Published Date: March 14, 2024
Published By: National Institutes of Health