Welcome to the Niemann Pick Type-C disease Knowledge Centre, which aim's to provide healthcare professionals with the latest, most up-to-date information regarding the disease and the management of it.
Niemann-Pick type C disease is a rare genetic lysosomal storage disorder that causes severe, progressive neurological symptoms. It is a very serious, life-threatening condition that can affect infants, children and adults. NP-C is characterized by cellular accumulation of lipids, in particular unesterified cholesterol and glycosphingolipids, in many parts of the body including brain, liver and spleen.
The symptoms of NP-C are highly variable and classically present in mid-to-late childhood. Symptoms become progressively more severe and include: disturbance of voluntary rapid eye movements (supranuclear gaze palsy); difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia); slurred and irregular speech (dysarthria); lack of muscle control (ataxia); cognitive dysfunction with associated dementia and in some cases seizures, and sudden muscle weakness during moments of strong emotion such as laughter (gelastic cataplexy). Lipid accumulation can also lead to an enlarged liver and/or spleen (hepatosplenomegaly).
Please use the left navigation (and upper where applicable) to explore our resource and learn more about this rare and life-threatening condition. We welcome any feedback (your opinions, thoughts, questions) regarding this resource.
© 2007 Blackwell Publishing Limited. Reproduced by permission.