
Patient stories: two children diagnosed with AADC deficiency
Following are 2 illustrative examples of children and their journeys leading to a diagnosis of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency.*
Of course, every child is different, so each child’s journey can be different.
Choose a child to read about:
Meet ‘Anna’, a baby girl with muscle spasms and delays in development
Not a real patient. Hypothetical profile based on actual patient experiences.
Anna had difficulty feeding as a newborn
- Anna was a newborn when her parents first noticed that she had problems feeding. Her difficulty with breastfeeding led to bottle feeding, with high-flow nipples for her bottles to ensure she was getting enough nutrition
- Anna coughed and turned red as if she was having trouble breathing while taking the bottle
Anna could not do what other babies her age could do
- As Anna grew, her parents noticed other problems. For example, at around 9 months old, she couldn’t hold her head up, and didn’t roll over
- Anna also drooled constantly and often had a runny nose
Anna started to have episodes where her eyes would move involuntarily
- Anna’s eyes would suddenly swing upward and would stay there for several minutes and sometimes much longer
- During these episodes, called ‘oculogyric crises’, Anna would seem frozen or zoned out
- These episodes seemed similar to seizures, so Anna’s parents spoke with her doctor about it, who ran tests and ruled out seizure disorders
Anna was referred to a paediatric neurologist
- Anna’s paediatric neurologist ordered routine blood work. The results came back normal
- The doctor then ordered a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which was also normal
Anna underwent special testing of her cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
- This test was done by collecting some of Anna’s spinal fluid using a procedure called a lumbar puncture
- This test measured the level of certain natural chemicals in the fluid surrounding Anna’s brain
Introducing ‘James’, a teenage boy with unexplained muscle spasms
Not a real patient. Hypothetical profile based on actual patient experiences.
James had trouble feeding and eating
- As a newborn, James had trouble feeding. His parents cut a hole in the nipples of his bottles to help him feed
James had difficulties that other children his age did not
- James took a long time to fall asleep, and would wake up multiple times during the night
- James was very sensitive to temperature, and would sometimes sweat even if it wasn’t warm
- Throughout his childhood, James never met the typical milestones that most children meet. He couldn’t hold his head up, sit, crawl, stand, or walk without help, and he was never able to speak
James could not always control his movements
- Sometimes, James would make random motions and his arms and legs would twist uncontrollably
- James’ parents thought these spells looked like seizures
James was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and given medication, but his symptoms did not improve
- At 6 months old, James was diagnosed with cerebral palsy
- James received some medications for his abnormal movements, but they made his symptoms worse
James’ parents took him to other doctors for more testing
- James’ doctors ordered imaging tests for his brain, which were normal
- The doctor also ordered common blood and urine tests to assess James’ organs and metabolism, and these tests came back normal
At 17 years old, James’ parents decided to take him to another paediatric neurologist who ordered a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis
- For this test, some of James’ spinal fluid was collected in a procedure called a lumbar puncture, or a spinal tap
*Not a real patient. Hypothetical profile based on actual patient experiences.
†Consensus guidelines recommend confirming an AADC deficiency diagnosis with a genetic test.
- Listen to the Shamrin family discuss the challenges, triumphs and lessons learned from caring for their daughter, Daria, who has AADC deficiency
- Find out more about AADC deficiency
GL-AADC-0987 | February 2022