Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-24-2018

Comments

This article has been peer reviewed. It is the author’s final published version in Cureus, Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2018, Article number e3197.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.3197. Copyright © Inayat et al.

Abstract

Lafora disease is fatal intractable progressive myoclonic epilepsy. It is frequently characterized by epileptic seizures, difficulty walking, muscle spasms, and dementia in late childhood or adolescence. We chronicle here an unusual case of an asymptomatic young male soccer player who presented with elevated liver enzymes. Neurological examination was unremarkable. The diagnostic workup for hepatitis, infectious etiologies, autoimmune disorders, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and other related diseases was inconclusive. He subsequently underwent an uneventful percutaneous liver biopsy. Based on the pathognomonic histopathological findings, Lafora disease was considered the likely etiology. The present study is a unique illustration of this rare disorder initially manifesting with abnormal liver enzymes. It underscores the importance of clinical suspicion of Lafora disease in cases with unexplained hepatic dysfunction. Prompt liver biopsy and genetic testing should be performed to antedate the onset of symptoms in these patients.

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Language

English

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