Variation of Serum Lipid Profile during Enzyme Replacement Therapy, in Patients with Type 1 Gauchers Disease.

Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) has dramatically changed the clinical course and prognosis of patients with Gaucher disease. We have assessed the extent to which the recently defined Goals of Therapy (Pastores et al, Semin Hematol 41(suppl 5):4–14) in 9 major fields (anemia, thrombocytopenia, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, skeletal pathology,biomarkers, pulmonary manifestations, growth and functional health and well being) were achieved in our cohort of patients with type I Gaucher disease. Fifty-seven patients (27 females, 30 males, median age at diagnosis 30 years (range 2–77 years) and at start of ERT 39 years (range 5–79 years) were assessed. The median period of ERT was 94 months (range 24–155 months). Patients on ERT for less than 2 years were excluded. Twenty five specific goals are defined within the 9 fields. The median overall success rate was 20 of 25 goals or 80% per patient (range 12–25 goals or 60–100%). The success rate for 9 goals was 100% ( normalization of hemoglobin 1 year post-splenectomy, no major bleeding 1 year after ERT start, doubling of baseline platelet count in severely thrombocytopenic patients 2 years after ERT start, maintenance of platelet count in non-thrombocytopenic patients, prevention of bone crises, reversion of hepatopulmonary syndrome and dependence on oxygen, amelioration of pulmonary hypertension and prevention of rapid deterioration of pulmonary disease and sudden death). Higher success rates were achieved for the goals related to thrombocytopenia (97.9%) and pulmonary manifestations (97%) although in the latter case the applicability was low. Lower success rates were achieved for the goals related to bone manifestations (78.7%). There was no significant difference in the success rate between males and females, splenectomised and non-splenectomised patients, and between patients treated less or more than 6 years. However patients started on ERT before the 40^th year of age exhibited significantly higher success rate as compared to patients started after the 40^th year (p=0.047) and there was a significant inverse correlation between overall success rate and patient’s age at treatment start (r = − 0.437). Finally, the success rate was higher among double heterozygotes, carrying the N370S mutation, as compared to patients homozygous for the N370S mutation (89.2±9.6% vs. 80.2±12.9%, p=0.016).