Fabry’s Disease. I’ve noticed some posts on Facebook about this and now I’ve been invited to join the Kidneys and Fabry’s Disease group on Facebook. It’s amazing timing since I had decided the day before being asked to join the group that I’d be writing about it for today’s blog. The fun part for me is that I know absolutely nothing about this disease, so I get to explore it.
The first thing I learned is that it has multiple names. The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) at https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/fabry-disease/ lists them as:
- “alpha-galactosidase A deficiency
- Anderson-Fabry disease
- angiokeratoma corporis diffusum
- angiokeratoma diffuse
- GLA deficiency”
We’ll use the name Fabry’s Disease for this blog.
Let’s start at the beginning with an explanation of what it is. You’re going to have to read this slowly and carefully… or, at least, I did. It’s from The National Fabry Disease Organization at https://www.fabrydisease.org/index.php/about-fabry-disease/what-is-fabry-disease.
“Fabry disease is a rare genetic disorder caused by a defective gene (the GLA gene) in the body. In most cases, the defect in the gene causes a deficient quantity of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A. This enzyme is necessary for the daily breakdown (metabolism) of a lipid (fatty substance) in the body called globotriaosylceramide abbreviated GL-3 or GB-3. When proper metabolism of this lipid and other similar lipids does not occur, GL-3 accumulates in the majority of cells throughout the body. The resulting progressive lipid accumulation leads to cell damage. The cell damage causes a wide range of mild to severe symptoms including potentially life-threatening consequences such as kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes often at a relatively early age. Fabry disease is a progressive, destructive and potentially life-threatening disease. Fabry disease can affect males and females of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds.”
That does not sound good. I wondered if there were symptoms. Remember that sometimes – like in my case – Chronic Kidney Disease doesn’t have symptoms. WebMd at https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/fabry-disease#1 tells us you may experience the following:
“Pain and burning in your hands and feet that get worse with exercise, fever, hot weather, or when you’re tired
Small, dark red spots usually found between your bellybutton and knees
Cloudy vision
Hearing loss
Ringing in the ears
Sweating less than normal
Stomach pain, bowel movements right after eating”
This is definitely something I wouldn’t want to play around with. Remember we discovered earlier in the blog that it’s genetic. That means you inherit it. Cedars-Sinai, a Los Angeles nonprofit academic healthcare organization at https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/f/fabrys-disease.html informs us:
“There is no cure for Fabry’s disease. However, in some cases the disease can be stopped from progressing if treated early enough. The first treatment generally is an enzyme replacement therapy which works to normalize the body’s ability to break down the fat.”
Healthline (Yes, that Healthline) at https://www.healthline.com/health/fabry-disease explains that Fabry’s Disease can be very serious:
“…. It’s progressive and can be life-threatening. People with FD have a damaged gene that leads to a shortage of an essential enzyme. The shortage results in a buildup of specific proteins in the body’s cells, causing damage to the:
heart
lungs
kidneys
skin
brain
stomach
The disease affects both men and women in all ethnic groups, but men are usually more severely affected.”
Hopefully, you noticed ‘kidneys’ in the list above. That is why I’ve included this disease in the kidney disease blogs. I want to remind you that this is a rare disease and that the purpose of the blog is to inform, not frighten.
Further complicating our explanation is that there are two kinds of Fabry’s Disease. I turned to Fabry Disease News at https://fabrydiseasenews.com/type-2-fabry-disease/ for more information.
“Fabry disease primarily has two recognized forms — type 1 (classical form) is the most severe and is associated with very little or no alpha-galactosidase activity, while type 2 (late-onset form) is milder with some residual enzyme activity.”
This makes me think of Diabetes. Type 1 occurs when there is no insulin produced, while Type 2 occurs when there is insulin resistance and is a milder form of Diabetes.
I wanted more about kidney disease and Fabry’s Disease so I kept poking around and I found it on The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences’ Genetic and Rare Disease Information Center (That is one long title.) at https://bit.ly/325QD8K,
“ACE inhibitors may be used to treat decreased kidney function (renal insufficiency). ACE inhibitors can reduce the loss of protein in the urine (proteinuria). If kidney function continues to decrease dialysis and/or kidney transplantation may be necessary. A kidney transplanted successfully into a person with Fabry disease will remain free of the harmful build up of the fatty acid GL3 and therefore will restore normal kidney function. However it will not stop the buildup of GL3 in other organs or systems of the body. In addition, all potential donors that are relatives of the person with known Fabry disease should have their genetic status checked to make sure they do not have a pathogenic variant (mutation) in the GLA gene (even if they do not have symptoms).”
Does this sound familiar? It’s also what can happen in CKD without involving the other organs, of course.
The National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at https://bit.ly/35RQ6Ze offers opportunities to join clinical trials and provides Fabry Disease patient organizations. The organizations listed presently are:
Fabry Support & Information Group
National Fabry Disease Foundation
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association
My head is spinning with all this new information right now and I suppose yours is, too. Maybe it’s time to stop and let us both digest it.
Until next week,
Keep living your life!
SlowItDownCKD 
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