Use of miglustat in a child with late-infantile-onset Niemann-Pick disease type C and frequent seizures: a case report

Introduction Niemann-Pick disease type C is a rare genetic lysosomal storage disease associated with impaired intracellular lipid trafficking and a range of progressive neurological manifestations. The influence of seizure activity on disease course and response to miglustat therapy is not currently clear. Case presentation Niemann-Pick disease type C homozygous for NPC1 mutation p.S940L [c. 2819 C>T] was diagnosed in a four-and-a-half-year-old Norwegian Caucasian girl. The patient, who died at eight years and seven months of age, had a history of prolonged neonatal jaundice and subsequently displayed progressive neurological manifestations that started with delayed speech, ataxia, and gelastic cataplexy. A regimen of 100mg of miglustat three times a day was initiated when she was four years and 11 months old. She showed decreased neurological deterioration during about three and a half years of treatment. However, she displayed periods of distinct worsening that coincided with frequent epileptic seizures. Anti-epileptic therapy reduced seizure frequency and severity and allowed re-stabilization of her neurological function. Prior to her death, which was possibly due to acute cardiac arrest, seizure activity was well controlled. Conclusions Miglustat delayed the expected deterioration of neurological function in this patient with p.S940L-homozygous late-infantile-onset Niemann-Pick disease type C and provided important quality-of-life benefits. This case demonstrates the importance of effective seizure control therapy in achieving and maintaining neurological stabilization in Niemann-Pick disease type C.