Lysosomal Storage Disease: Health, Development, and Functional Outcome Surveillance in Preschool Children

Lysosomal Storage Disease: Health, Development, and Functional Outcome Surveillance in Preschool Children

Hypothesis: Children diagnosed with a lysosomal disease will exhibit developmental, adaptive, and behavioral strengths and difficulties depending upon 1) biomedical risk factors (i.e. the specific genetic disorder responsible for the illness); 2) available modifying interventions, whether medical or behavioral; and 3) social risks in the children's families, neighborhoods and communities. A valid and reliable telephone-based surveillance system can successfully collect the data required to elucidate these developmental, adaptive and behavioral strengths and difficulties.

Children who have lysosomal disease experience declines in health status and central nervous system integrity which result in motor, communication, self-care, learning and behavioral challenges. Medical interventions such as enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can improve the health and functioning of children with lysosomal disease. To date, however, there is no established system for evaluating the health status, developmental status, behavioral outcomes or functional outcomes of these preschool-aged children across time and differing settings. The primary objective of this study is to develop a valid and reliable telephone-based data-gathering system for obtaining health status data, developmental status data, behavioral outcomes data, and functional outcomes data which reflect skills of daily living including feeding, moving, communicating and responding to others.

The secondary objective of this study is to assess the validity of several early-childhood standardized assessment tools as compared to the standard neuropsychological assessment battery specified by the Lysosomal Disease Network's 'Neurobehavioral Core.'

The third objective of this study is to describe the impact of lysosomal disease upon the families of lysosomal disease-affected children.

Inclusion Criteria:

Children aged 1 to 84 months who have been diagnosed with MPS types I, II, III or VI. Children aged 1 to 84 months who have been diagnosed with some other lysosomal disease. Children aged birth to 18 years who have been diagnosed with Krabbe disease, or who have a positive screening for Krabbe disease.

Exclusion Criteria:

Children who do not have a lysosomal disease are excluded from this study.