Defects in Very Long-Chain Fatty Acid Oxidation Presenting as Different Types of Cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Cardiac involvement may accompany various inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) including fatty acid oxidation (FAO) disorders, presenting as rhythm disturbances, conduction abnormalities, cardiomyopathies, pericardial effusion, and sudden cardiac death. FAO disorders are rare mitochondrial diseases with variable organ involvements and clinical presentations. Very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCADD) is a FAO disorder with diverse clinical presentations. We report two VLCADD patients with cardiac involvement and diverse presentations. The first patient represents with cardiogenic shock and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) at childhood. The second patient represents with suspicious sepsis at early infancy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) at further evaluation. IEM should be thought of in every individual case with suspicious sepsis or cardiac failure regardless of age or previous history.